UPDATED: Blackout across Nigeria as national grid collapses

Nigerians were on Tuesday morning thrown into darkness due to the collapse of the national electricity grid.

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This is the second time in less than five days that Nigeria’s national grid has suffered a disturbance resulting in a nationwide power outage.

Major districts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, were without electricity at the time of filing this report. Persistent grid collapses and erratic power supply have continued to disrupt businesses and households across the country, forcing many Nigerians to rely on alternatives such as generators and solar power.

Last Friday, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) informed the public that at approximately 12:40 hours, the national grid experienced a system-wide disturbance that resulted in a total outage across the interconnected network.

According to the operators, operational reports indicated that the disturbance was linked to the simultaneous tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units.

These events, it said, collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated.

Following the outage, system restoration activities commenced at about 13:15 hours, in line with established grid restoration and recovery procedures. Electricity supply was subsequently restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro and parts of Lagos, while restoration efforts continued in other parts of the country.

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On Tuesday, major electricity distribution companies confirmed the nationwide outage following the grid collapse.

In a notice to customers, Eko Electricity Distribution Company said the power outage occurred after a system collapse at 10:48 a.m.

“Dear Valued Customer,

Kindly be informed there was a system collapse at 10:48hrs which has resulted in a loss of power supply across our network,” Eko Electricity Distribution Company posted.

“The company said they are currently working with TCN partners as we hope for the speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power supply is restored. Kindly bear with us,” the company said.

Similarly, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company said it regretted informing customers that there was a loss of power supply across its franchise area, adding that it had no timeline for restoration.

“We do not have a view of when we will be restored to the grid, however our technical teams are working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the prompt restoration,” the company statement said.

It added that updates would be provided as soon as more information becomes available.

“We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to serve you better,” the statement said.

A similar advisory was also issued by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company on Tuesday.

According to the company, “Kindly be informed that the outage currently experienced in all our franchises is due to grid collapse.”

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“We appeal to our esteemed customers to exercise patience as the relevant team is working tirelessly to restore power supply as soon as possible,” the statement said.