The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has confirmed the collapse of the national grid, attributing the incident to an explosion of a nearby transformer, which caused the shutdown of the grid system.
In a statement on Saturday, NERC reported that the grid system is being restored across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), assuring Nigerians that full restoration is underway.
The commission explained that the outage occurred following an explosion at a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 08:15 hours, triggering a cascade of power plant shutdowns due to the sudden loss of load.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission notes with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outage in several states thus reversing many of the gains recently achieved in reducing infrastructure deficit and improving grid stability.
“Initial reports on the grid disturbance that occurred this morning indicate that today’s outage was triggered by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 0815hrs and associated cascade of power plants shut down arising from the loss of load.
“However, efforts to restore supply have advanced with power significantly restored, as at 1300hrs, in 33 states and the FCT,” NERC said.
Finding Lasting Solution
Furthermore, NERC stated that finding a lasting solution to the frequent grid collapses remains a top priority for the commission.
The commission further noted that, in line with the Electricity Act of 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator (ISO) function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing. It expressed optimism that the establishment of an independent System Operator will promote greater discipline in grid management and encourage optimized infrastructure investments.
The regulatory authority also announced plans to conduct an investigative public hearing to identify both the immediate and underlying causes of recurring grid disturbances and widespread outages.
“In line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator function (ISO) out of Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing with the expectation that an independent SO would engender more discipline in grid management and optimised investment in infrastructure.
“In pursuit of finding a permanent resolution to the challenges of the national grid, the Commission shall shortly conduct an investigative public hearing with a view to identifying immediate and remote causes of recurring incidence of grid disturbances and widespread outages.
“The date and venue of the public hearing will shortly be announced in the national dailies and stakeholders are encouraged to participate,” NERC stated.
Backstory
- Nairametrics earlier reported that the national grid had collapsed for the third time in less than a week, plunging the country into a major blackout.
- The grid, which had experienced several disruptions in recent days, was restored just two days ago before suffering another collapse on Saturday
- .As of 9 a.m. today, Nairametrics’ checks confirmed that the grid was transmitting zero megawatts to the eleven distribution companies (DisCos) across the nation.
- This latest incident marks the eighth grid failure in 2024, with three occurring within the past week.