Tag: electricity supply

  • Nigeria’s Power Infrastructure Suffers Second National Grid Failure Within Five Days

    Nigeria’s Power Infrastructure Suffers Second National Grid Failure Within Five Days

    According to reporting by Premium Times, the Nigerian electricity supply has once again been thrown into total disarray following the collapse of the national power grid on Tuesday. This latest incident marks the second time in less than a week that the country has experienced a nationwide blackout, severely impacting economic activities and residential comfort across various states. Distribution companies, including those in Abuja and Eko, confirmed the loss of power supply, stating that they were awaiting technical resolution from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    The recurring failure of the transmission system has sparked renewed concerns regarding the Federal Government’s ability to stabilize the energy sector. Analysts note that these frequent disturbances undermine industrial productivity and increase the cost of doing business as firms are forced to rely on expensive alternative energy sources. While the TCN typically attributes such collapses to technical “disturbances” or “system frequency fluctuations,” the lack of a permanent solution remains a point of contention for energy stakeholders.

    The Daily Trust also confirmed the development, noting that “Nigeria’s electricity grid yesterday recorded its third collapse in a month,” highlighting a rapid decline in grid stability since the start of the year. Similarly, ThisDay reported on the widespread darkness, quoting an industry source who stated, “The national grid collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, leaving power supply across most of the country at near-zero levels.”

    Echotitbits take: This frequent grid instability suggests deep-seated infrastructural decay that the 2026 budget allocations must address urgently. Watch for the Ministry of Power to provide a formal roadmap for grid decentralization, which experts argue is the only long-term solution to these recurring collapses.

    Source: The Guardian – https://guardian.ng/news/national-grid-bounces-back-after-crashing-to-39mw/ January 28, 2026

    Photo Credit: The Guardian

  • Nationwide Blackout as National Power Grid Collapses for the First Time in 2026

    Nationwide Blackout as National Power Grid Collapses for the First Time in 2026

    According to The Guardian’s reporting on Saturday morning, Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered its first total system failure of the year, with power generation plunging to 0.00 megawatts. The collapse reportedly occurred around 2:00 PM on Friday and disconnected all eleven electricity distribution companies (DisCos) from the transmission network, leaving major cities including Lagos, Abuja, and Kano without power.

    Real-time data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) indicated that major thermal and hydro power plants—including Egbin, Kainji, and Jebba—went offline simultaneously. While the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had not, at the time of reporting, issued a detailed technical explanation, preliminary accounts pointed to a system disturbance that cascaded through ageing infrastructure.

    Daily Post and Vanguard also confirmed the development, with Daily Post quoting energy analyst Paul Igbashangev describing the repeated collapses as harmful to businesses and households, while Vanguard framed the incident as evidence of persistent fragility in the transmission network.

    Echotitbits take: This first collapse of 2026 reinforces that tariff adjustments alone do not address grid resilience. Unless Nigeria invests in spinning reserves, grid protection systems, and decentralized solutions (embedded generation and micro-grids), the same systemic failure pattern is likely to recur through the year.
    Source: The Guardian (Nigeria) — https://guardian.ng/energy/again-nigerias-power-grid-collapses-causes-nationwide-blackout/ 2026-01-24

    Photo Credit: The Guardian (Nigeria)

  • Grid Restored After Fresh System Disturbance, Operator Says

    Grid Restored After Fresh System Disturbance, Operator Says

    2025-12-29 18:00:00

    According to Punch, Nigeria’s electricity system recovered after a partial national grid collapse triggered by a mid‑afternoon system disturbance that disrupted supply across multiple areas.

    The report said the disturbance occurred around 2:01pm on Monday, December 29, with generation slipping after earlier peaking near the day’s highs. NISO attributed the disruption to tripping events affecting multiple generating units and key 330kV transmission lines.

    Punch added that gas constraints—linked to the earlier Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline vandalism—left the grid more fragile, worsening the impact once the disturbance hit. NISO also pointed to “island mode” interventions that helped keep supply flowing to some substations during the incident.

    Premium Times separately reported that distribution companies issued customer updates during the outage and said restoration would follow once the grid was stabilised, noting work to bring supply back “as soon as the grid is stabilised.” TVC News also reported that the national grid was back online, citing NISO’s account that the disturbance had been addressed.

    Echotitbits take: Nigeria’s grid is behaving like a stressed network—any gas disruption or transmission trip can cascade into wide outages. Watch for (1) clearer post‑incident diagnostics from the system operator, and (2) stronger pipeline security and gas supply stability going into 2026.

    Source: The Punch — December 29, 2025 (https://punchng.com/power-supply-restored-after-national-grid-collapse-niso/)

    The Punch 2025-12-29

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • FG says power supply should rebound within 48 hours after gas pipeline disruptions

    FG says power supply should rebound within 48 hours after gas pipeline disruptions

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-24 07:44:00

    According to PUNCH, the Federal Government says the latest dip in electricity supply is temporary and should improve within 24–48 hours as repairs progress on disrupted gas infrastructure.

    The report links the supply drop to an explosion on the Escravos–Lagos Gas Pipeline and additional vandalism affecting gas delivery to thermal plants, reducing generation across the grid.

    Officials say the system operator is monitoring repairs by NGPTC (an NNPC subsidiary), and that restoration timelines have been communicated across the value chain.

    In the system operator update referenced, NISO said restoration works are “nearing completion and… full operations are expected to resume within 24 to 48 hours.” The minister’s team also said: “The situation is expected to be resolved within the next 24 to 48 hours.”

    Echotitbits take: Even if supply returns, the bigger issue is resilience. Watch for stronger pipeline protection, redundancy in gas supply routes, and faster balancing capacity on the grid so single incidents don’t crash supply.

    Source: The Punch— December 23, 2025 (https://punchng.com/power-outage-temporary-supply-to-return-in-48-hours-adelabu/)
    The Punch 2025-12-23