Nigeria’s electricity generation plunged to 476.70 megawatts (MW) on Monday afternoon from about 3,840MW in the morning, raising fresh concerns over the stability of the national grid and worsening power supply to homes and businesses.
Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) portal, niggrid.org, showed that generation remained relatively stable in the early hours before dropping sharply around 12.40pm.
By 1pm, total generation had fallen to 476.70MW, representing a loss of more than 3,300MW within hours. The dashboard showed output at approximately 480MW by 1.23pm, with only five generating companies recording electricity production.
The steep decline left most power plants with zero output, including major stations such as Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji, alongside several gas-fired facilities. Only a handful of plants, including Odukpani NIPP, Omotosho and Sapele, were contributing electricity to the grid at the time.
The drop coincided with reports of power outages, as consumers took to social media to complain about interruptions between approximately 12.45pm and 1.20pm.
However, NISO dismissed suggestions that the country had suffered a national grid collapse, insisting that there was no system-wide disturbance at the time.
A senior NISO official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the reported outages could have resulted from localised problems rather than a collapse of the national grid.
“There is no disturbance at the moment. Probably if something is happening, maybe it is a local issue, but there is nothing on the grid,” the official said.
The official explained that isolated tripping incidents and other minor faults did not necessarily amount to a national grid collapse, noting that some could be resolved within minutes.
“Some of these things are tripping or other minor issues that, within minutes, you just see that it is fixed,” the official said.
The official added that NISO had directed its technical team to conduct a system check to identify any anomalies.
The latest plunge comes amid continuing concerns over the reliability of Nigeria’s electricity supply, with repeated generation shortfalls placing additional pressure on distribution companies and consumers who depend on the national grid.
For businesses, sudden reductions in available electricity can disrupt operations and increase reliance on diesel-powered generators, adding to production and operating costs. Households, meanwhile, face further uncertainty over the duration and regularity of power supply.
The Federal Government has approved plans to develop new eastern and western power grids as part of efforts to strengthen the transmission network and address recurring system failures. However, the latest generation figures underscore the challenges confronting the sector as authorities seek to deliver more stable electricity to consumers.
The latest incident follows another significant decline in electricity generation recorded on October 5, when 16 power plants reported zero output, worsening supply challenges across the country.
Checks by Daily Sun on the NISO dashboard showed that total real-time generation had fallen to 2,033.66MW by 3pm on October 5, with only 13 generating plants contributing electricity to the grid.
The figure represented a decline of more than 3,300MW, or approximately 62 per cent, from the 5,403MW available on September 24.
The plants that recorded zero generation on October 5 included Egbin, Geregu NIPP, Olorunsogo NIPP, Jebba, Kainji, Okpai, Rivers IPP, Trans Afam Power, Afam III Fast, Alaoji NIPP, Delta, GPAL, Ihovbor, MEPP and TAOPEX.
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