Nigeria’s electricity grid experienced a severe decline on Friday, leading to widespread blackouts across the country. The drop in power generation was recorded between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., falling from 3,366.88 megawatts (MW) to 1,417.85 MW within two hours.
Data from the National Independent System Operator (NISO) revealed that the number of active power plants connected to the grid decreased from 22 at 1 p.m. to just 13 by 3 p.m. This marks the second major drop in power supply this year, raising concerns about the stability of the national grid.
The decline comes just two days after the Federal Government announced a peak generation of over 5,800 MW. However, experts have noted that this achievement was short-lived and did not result in a sustained improvement in electricity supply.
Meanwhile, Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has stated that ongoing tariff adjustments could help boost available generation capacity to around 7,000 MW. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communication, Bolaji Tunji, the minister explained that tariff regularization is necessary for improving power generation and distribution.
“To sustain these improvements, the Government would have to pay down on the tariff shortfalls of N1.94 trillion for 2024 and legacy debts of N2 trillion to the GENCOs. It would be important to continue the tariff reforms to ensure consumers start to pay for the energy consumed,” he said.
He further noted, “By the time the tariffs are fully regularized, we will be moving closer to 7,000 MW of available generation capacity. This will mark another significant milestone in our journey towards a stable, reliable, and efficient power sector that meets the needs of all Nigerians.”
