National grid collapses again as blackout looms amid Easter holidays

A nationwide blackout hit Nigeria again as the national grid collapsed for the fourth time in 2024 amid the Easter holidays.

Sources from electricity distribution companies in Nigeria disclosed that the grid collapsed around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Kunle Olubiyo, the president of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, confirmed the grid collapse.

Chronicle NG learned that power went off around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in Apo, Dawaki, and Utako.

The implication is that millions of homes and businesses centrally managed by Osogbo, Osun State, are without power from the national grid.

Discos reported at the time of filing this report that their feeders had become inactive, causing widespread blackouts across the country.

As of 6 p.m., the Azura Power Plant was the sole facility contributing to the grid, albeit with a modest output of 54 megawatts.

Major power generation plants such as Egbin, Afam, Geregu, Ibom Power, Jebba, Kainji, Odukpani, and Olorunsogo, among others, remained dormant, further exacerbating the electricity deficit nationwide.

The grid’s output, which stood at 2984 megawatts as of 4 p.m., plunged to zero within an hour, with all 21 plants connected to the grid ceasing operations by 5 p.m.

Recall that the national grid collapsed on February 4, 2024.

Nigeria’s national grid, managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), collapsed 46 times between 2017 and 2023.

Nigeria’s power sector has been challenged for decades. The situation has exacerbated since January 2024.

Related