Nigeria has been thrown into near-total darkness following the collapse of the national electricity grid on Wednesday.
The system collapse occurred at about 11:am following voltage collapse at some parts of the national grid, industry sources said.
The national grid is managed by the government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria, one of the companies created following the unbundling of the power sector in 2013.
Power system collapse is common in Nigeria, a result of the obsolesce of equipment and inadequate investment in the industry.
Ndidi Mbah, TCN General Manager, has explained that there was a total system collapse of the grid, as a result of voltage collapse at some parts of the grid. She added that
She stated that TCN commenced grid recovery immediately after the collapse, from Shiroro Generating Station to Katampe TS, Abuja through the Shiroro – Katampe line at 11:29 am, and also through Delta Generating Station to Benin Transmission Substation and has reached Osogbo and parts of Lagos.
Electricity distribution companies in the country have in separate messages to their customers asked for calm, promising them that the TCN was handling the problem.
In Lagos, Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc said through a text message to its customers:: “Dear customer, there is a partial system collapse on the national grid. Our TCN partners are working to restore supply immediately. Please bear with us.”
Similarly, the Kaduna Electric distribution company said via Twitter: “We regret to inform you that the power outage currently being experienced across our franchise – Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States – is as a result of the collapse of the national grid,”
