National Grid Collapses for Third Time in One Week, Plunging Nigeria into Blackout

Nigeria experienced another national power grid collapse on Saturday morning, resulting in a widespread blackout across the country. This marks the third time in just one week that the fragile grid has failed, bringing the total number of collapses this year to eight.

According to data from the National System Operator, a division of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the grid’s power output plummeted from 3,041.72 megawatts (MW) at 8 a.m. to a mere 47 MW by 9 a.m. Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant (IPP) was the only facility still supplying power during this sharp drop.

The previous day, the grid had recorded a peak supply of 4,807.2 MW, with the lowest supply at 4,011.27 MW. However, the sudden collapse on Saturday drastically reduced the available power, leaving much of the country in darkness. The national grid’s verified social media account on X (formerly Twitter) confirmed that seven out of Nigeria’s eleven electricity distribution companies had zero load allocation due to the collapse.

The electricity distribution companies (DisCos) that managed to receive minimal power during the outage included Benin DisCo (70 MW), Ibadan DisCo (60 MW), Ikeja DisCo (30 MW), and Eko DisCo (20 MW), as of 10:16 a.m.

The TCN announced on Friday that two towers along its 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines had been vandalized, causing significant damage. According to reports from TCN’s Shiroro Regional Office, the first 330kV transmission line tripped, followed closely by the second line. The damage led to power transmission issues in the North West region, a critical area that relies on these lines for electricity.

“Efforts are ongoing to reclose the first line, and we have mobilized local vigilantes to patrol the affected area,” TCN stated. During these efforts, two damaged towers—T133 and T136—were discovered, with cables severely damaged in multiple spots.

The TCN emphasized that the vandalism of the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines presents a major challenge for power transmission. “The vandalized Shiroro-Kaduna 330kV lines 1&2 are vital lines through which bulk power is transmitted to parts of the North West region, with each line capable of carrying 600 MW,” read the statement signed by Ndidi Mbah, General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN.

To address the immediate power shortage, TCN has taken temporary measures, such as supplying bulk power to the Kaduna and Kano regions through the 330kV Kaduna-Jos transmission line. The company also announced plans to deploy a newly acquired “emergency restoration system” to the affected site to restore power transmission until the damaged towers can be fully reconstructed.

In response to the security challenges in the area, TCN conducted an aerial survey in collaboration with security agencies. The survey was necessary due to the threat of banditry, which endangers both TCN’s installations and its personnel. Despite these obstacles, the company is determined to restore full functionality. “We are committed to re-erecting the towers and restringing the transmission lines to restore bulk power transmission through both 330kV power transmission lines,” the statement added.