By Joke Kujenya
AGAIN, NIGERIA experienced a nationwide power outage as the national grid collapsed on Saturday, plunging the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, into darkness.
Emeka Ezeh, Head of Corporate Communications at Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), confirmed the collapse, which occurred at about 3:09pm.
This incident marks the fourth grid failure in 2024, following previous collapses on February 4, March 28, and April 15.
Electricity distribution companies across the country reported the collapse.
Kaduna Electric, serving Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states, all announced that the outage affected all their outgoing feeders.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), responsible for the FCT, Niger, Kogi, and Nasarawa states, also attributed the blackout to the grid failure.
Fire Incident In Some States
THE IBADAN Electricity Distribution Company Plc, covering Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and parts of Ekiti states, cited a fire outbreak at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as the cause of the disruption.
EEDC explained that the collapse affected power supply in the Southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
Kaduna Electric and AEDC assured customers that power supply would be restored once the national grid was operational again.
EEDC stated that all their interface TCN stations were out of supply, impacting their ability to provide services.
The company is awaiting detailed information from the National Control Centre (NCC) in Osogbo.
Also, this blackout comes shortly after TCN reported a decline in electricity generation to 4,723.30 megawatts on July 4, down from 4,800 megawatts in May.
In all, Nigeria has experienced at least 227 grid collapses over the past 14 years, with four occurring in 2024 alone.
These frequent outages have exacerbated frustrations amid recent electricity tariff hikes, especially for Band A customers, who are supposed to receive 20-24 hours of power supply, whilst their tariff increased to N206.80 per kilowatt-hour from N66 kWh.
Timeline of few notable grid collapses in Nigeria:
2024
- February 4, 2024: National grid collapses, causing widespread outages.
- March 28, 2024: Second collapse of the year, leading to nationwide blackout.
- April 15, 2024: Third grid collapse, affecting power supply across the country.
- July 6, 2024: Fourth collapse of the year at 3:09 PM, resulting in a nationwide outage.
2023
- September 25, 2023: Grid collapse causes significant power outage.
- June 12, 2023: Another grid failure leads to extensive blackouts.
- March 14, 2023: National grid collapse disrupts electricity supply.
2022
- September 25, 2022: Grid collapse results in a nationwide blackout.
- July 20, 2022: Widespread outages due to grid failure.
- June 13, 2022: Major grid collapse affects power supply.
- April 8, 2022: National grid failure causes blackouts across the country.
- March 14, 2022: Grid collapse disrupts electricity distribution.
2021
- July 28, 2021: Grid collapse leads to widespread power outages.
- May 12, 2021: Grid failure causes extensive blackouts.
- February 17, 2021: Grid collapse disrupts power supply nationwide.
2020
- January 16, 2020: National grid collapse results in major blackout.
These incidents according to media reports, highlight the unending encounters in maintaining a stable and reliable power grid in Nigeria over the years.
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