Nigeria’s electricity supply suffered a dramatic setback on Monday as power generation plunged by nearly 88 per cent in about six hours, falling from 3,840 megawatts in the morning to just 476.70MW by early afternoon, amid reports of outages across parts of the country.
The steep decline raised fresh concerns about the resilience of the country’s electricity infrastructure, with several major power stations recording zero output even as the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) insisted that the national grid had not collapsed.
Data on NISO’s portal, niggrid.org, showed that generation stood at approximately 3,840MW at 7am before beginning a sharp downward slide around 12.40pm.
By 1pm, the figure had fallen to 476.70MW, leaving only a handful of generating stations contributing electricity to the national supply.
Among the facilities that reportedly recorded no output were Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji, alongside several gas-fired power plants. Odukpani NIPP, Omotosho and Sapele were among the few stations that continued generating electricity.
By 1.23pm, the dashboard showed output at about 480MW, with only five generating companies recording generation.
The development coincided with complaints from electricity consumers who reported interruptions between 12.45pm and 1.20pm, highlighting the immediate impact that a sharp reduction in generation can have on households and businesses.
However, NISO rejected suggestions that the incident amounted to a national grid collapse, maintaining that there was no system-wide disturbance.
“There is no disturbance at the moment. Probably if something is happening, maybe it is a local issue, but there is nothing on the grid,” a senior NISO official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The official explained that localised interruptions and temporary equipment trips could disrupt supply in affected areas without necessarily constituting a collapse of the national grid.
“Some of these things are tripping or other minor issues that, within minutes, you just see that it is fixed,” he said.
NISO said it had directed its technical team to carry out a quick system check to establish whether any irregularities had occurred.
Despite the operator’s position, the scale of the generation decline places renewed attention on the need to establish why so many generating stations simultaneously recorded zero output and how quickly supply could be restored.
For households and businesses dependent on public electricity, the distinction between a national grid collapse and a severe drop in available generation offers little immediate relief when power is interrupted.
The episode also raises questions about the effectiveness of measures to improve electricity supply, particularly as Nigeria continues to experience recurring disruptions affecting homes, manufacturers, commercial establishments and other critical services.
The Federal Government has recently approved plans to develop new eastern and western power grids as part of efforts to address recurring grid failures and improve the stability of the electricity system.
The success of such plans will depend not only on expanding infrastructure but also on ensuring that generating stations, transmission facilities and distribution networks can maintain reliable service.
NISO’s technical assessment is expected to provide further clarity on the cause of Monday’s sharp decline, the status of the affected generating stations and the extent to which electricity supply was disrupted.
Until those details emerge, the incident leaves a critical question hanging over Nigeria’s power sector: how can the country guarantee dependable electricity when available generation can fall so sharply within hours?
