After a dramatic collapse of the national grid earlier this morning leading to a nationwide power outage, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has confirmed to Nairametrics that the grid is now coming back on gradually.
According to the source, the national grid suffered a collapse earlier today largely due to the power generation station or GENCOS which dropped its production, leading to the frequency of the grid to increase rapidly.
At around 1 am today, the grid experienced a collapse as a result of a fire incident in the Jebba power station, Niger state.
Accordingly, Jebba power station, being a key player in the power supply chain, apparently affected the transmission of power supply across the country, notably the decline of electricity supply in places like Enugu, Imo, Aba, Lagos and Kano respectively.
However, the source who manages TCN for Ikeja Electric revealed that there is now a gradual recovery of the grid across the country as the fire is contained.
Backstory
Earlier today, Nairametrics broke the news that the national power grid suffered a complete collapse, resulting in a total power outage in the country.
Around 12:40 a.m. on September 14, 2023, reports surfaced regarding a total blackout in Nigeria as the national electricity grid suffered a complete breakdown, causing widespread power shortages for distributors throughout the country.
An announcement titled ‘Total System Collapse’ was issued by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc on Thursday.
According to the notice,
- “The EEDC would like to apprise its cherished customers of a full system collapse that took place at 12:40 am, September 14, 2023.”
- “This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network. Due to this development, all our interface TCN (Transmission Company of Nigeria) stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
- “We are on standby awaiting detailed information on the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre, Osogbo.
The notice was signed by the Head of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh
Apart from the South East, other regions such as the South West and the North West also experienced a complete blackout due to the collapse of the National Grid.
More on the Story
A reliable source has confirmed to Nairametrics that the reason behind the power outage is due to a breakout of fire in the Jebba power station, cascading into the breakdown of the electricity supply in the country.
However, the source also revealed that the grid is gradually being restored as the fire is contained at the power station.
His words,
- The nation’s power grid collapse was attributable to a few ongoing challenges that had been building over the last week, as it encountered a severe disruption that sent ripples through the electricity sector.
- The incident was triggered by a notable reduction in electricity generation by the Generation Companies (Gencos).
- The Gencos, as key players in the power supply chain, faced operational challenges that resulted in a significant decrease in their power output.
- This decline in electricity supply had a cascading effect, leading to an abnormal increase in the grid’s frequency.
- However, the situation took a dire turn when in the early hours of Thursday, September 14, 2023, at approximately 1 am, or 00:44 hours to be precise, the entire national electricity grid experienced a total collapse.
- This catastrophic occurrence was primarily triggered by a fire incident that erupted at the Jebba Power Station, further complicating the already precarious power situation.
- In the face of adversity, commendable efforts were undertaken by power authorities and swift response teams, leading to the successful containment of the fire at the Jebba Power Station.
- As a result, there is now a glimmer of hope as power restoration efforts have been initiated, with Lagos fully back online, gradually bringing relief to communities across the nation.
Nairametrics remains committed to keeping you informed about developments in this critical sector, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely as further updates emerge.
