Nigeria witnessed a significant collapse of its national grid on Monday, resulting in a drastic drop in power generation from 4,032.8 megawatts to a mere 43.5MW within the span of an hour. Power generation figures from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) revealed the severity of the collapse, with a subsequent gradual recovery in the following hours.
The grid collapse occurred around 1 pm, causing power generation to plummet to 43.5MW at 2 pm. TCN engineers worked to restore the system, and by 6:51 pm, the grid was fully restored, except for the Jos axis, which was expected to receive supply shortly after.
This recent incident marks another in a series of grid collapses in Nigeria, with the power grid experiencing multiple failures in September of the same year. The recurring collapses have drawn criticism from power consumers, who lament the impact on daily life and business operations.
In a statement, Ndidi Mbah, the spokesperson for TCN, confirmed the collapse and subsequent restoration, emphasizing that the Jos axis would soon have its supply reinstated.
Nigeria has faced challenges in its electricity sector, with previous explanations for blackouts attributing incidents to factors such as fire and explosions in power transmission infrastructure. Despite efforts to stabilize the grid using technologies like the Internet of Things, the frequent grid disturbances remain a point of concern for power consumers.
The Nigerian Power Consumers Forum expressed dissatisfaction with the persisting issues in the electricity sector, emphasizing the need for sustainable solutions to ensure a reliable and stable power supply. The forum’s convener, Michael Okoh, raised concerns about the impact of grid collapses on the country’s economy and urged comprehensive measures to address the challenges in the power generation and distribution arms of the sector.
