Nigeria was plunged into darkness once again on Monday, 14th October 2024, following the collapse of the national power grid, marking the sixth occurrence this year.
Data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal (niggrid.org) indicated that as of 7:00 PM, the grid recorded a dramatic drop to zero Megawatts (MW), resulting in a complete shutdown of electricity supply nationwide.
The data further revealed that all 22 electricity generation companies (GenCos) had ceased operations at the time of this report.
This latest grid collapse adds to the persistent and deep-rooted challenges facing Nigeria’s power sector, which has struggled to deliver reliable electricity to millions of citizens.
Despite the widespread blackout, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had yet to issue a formal statement confirming the collapse or addressing its causes, leaving both the public and key stakeholders in uncertainty.
Earlier in the year, Nigeria experienced its first major grid failure on 4th February, when the national grid collapsed at approximately 11:51 AM, reducing power generation from 2,407 MW to just 31 MW by midday, and reaching zero by 1:00 PM.
The country recorded its fifth blackout of the year on 5th August, continuing a troubling trend that has highlighted the instability of the national power grid.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with these power outages, the government is expected to launch a $750 million World Bank-backed electricity initiative next month, aimed at addressing some of the long-standing issues in the sector.
