Again, National Grid Collapse Plunges Nigeria Into Darkness
- Nigeria's national electricity grid has, again, collapsed, marking the fourth time since the year started
- According to reports, the unfortunate incident has left millions of households and businesses without electricity
- Multiple distribution companies report that their feeders became inactive, leading to extensive power outages
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Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the stock market.
Once again, Nigeria is in total darkness following the collapse of the national electricity grid, which is overseen from Osogbo, Osun State.
This latest incident has left countless households and enterprises without electricity.
This incident represents the fourth of such collapses within the initial three months of the year, exacerbating the enduring issues that afflict Nigeria's power industry.
Source: UGC
Electricity grid falters
According to Premium Times, the collapse reportedly occurred around 4:32 pm on Thursday, March 28.
Reports from multiple distribution companies across Nigeria's 36 states indicate that their feeders became inactive, leading to extensive power outages nationwide.
The grid's output, recorded at 2984 megawatts at 4 pm, dropped to zero within an hour, with all 21 connected plants ceasing operations by 5 pm.
At 6:00 pm, the Azura Power Plant was the only facility supplying electricity to the grid, albeit with a modest output of 54 megawatts.
Significant power generation plants like Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo, among others, remained inactive, intensifying the electricity shortage across the country.
In a statement posted on its X account, Eko Electricity Distribution Company informed its customers of a system collapse.
It stated:
"Kindly be informed there was a system collapse at 16:28hrs which has resulted to a loss of power across our network."
It added that it is currently working with its partners in hopes of a speedy grid restoration.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) also sent a similar message:
This occurrence represents another setback for Nigeria's electricity sector, which has been grappling with persistent challenges despite privatization initiatives intended to rejuvenate it.
Over the past decade since privatization, the national grid has suffered from a staggering 141 collapses, highlighting the industry's extensive systemic obstacles.
TCN explains why many cities are facing blackouts
In related news, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) explained why many Nigerian cities, towns and communities face blackouts.
The TCN declared that the recent power outages in some areas of the country resulted from limitations in gas supply to the thermal generating companies.
According to the TCN, the constraints in gas availability have significantly affected the volume of bulk power accessible on the transmission grid.
This hinders the seamless transmission to distribution load centres across the nation.
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Source: Legit.ng
