Nigeria’s electricity generation fell sharply to 476.70 megawatts (MW) on Monday, triggering power supply disruptions in parts of the country.
Data on the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) portal showed that generation dropped from 3,840MW at 7am to 476.70MW by 1pm, representing a decline of 3,363.30MW, or approximately 87.6 per cent.
The sharp decline began at about 12.40pm, leaving several power plants with zero output.
Among the affected facilities were Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji, while Odukpani, Omotosho and Sapele continued generating electricity.
The NISO dashboard showed that only five generating companies were producing electricity by early afternoon.
The development prompted complaints from electricity consumers, with several customers reporting power outages on social media between 12.45pm and 1.20pm.
However, NISO later clarified that the incident was caused by multiple trips on the 330-kilovolt transmission network and did not amount to a complete national grid collapse. The operator said the affected section of the network was subsequently restored in collaboration with the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Ikeja Electric attributed the reduction in electricity supply hours across its network to a shortfall in the amount of power allocated to it from the national grid.
In a notice issued on Monday, the distribution company said it was engaging relevant stakeholders to improve the available supply.
“We wish to inform customers across the Ikeja Electric network that the reduced hours of electricity supply are due to a shortfall in the amount of power currently allocated to our network from the national grid,” the notice read.
The company acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the reduced supply and appealed to customers for patience and understanding.
Ikeja Electric added that it would continue distributing the electricity received from the national grid “as efficiently and equitably as possible” while keeping customers informed as the situation evolved.
The incident has renewed concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and the impact of sudden disruptions in generation and transmission on households and businesses.
