- Down from 3,84omw
Nigeria’s electricity supply system suffered a dramatic shock on Monday as power generation plunged by about 88 per cent, falling from approximately 3,840 megawatts (MW) at 7am to 476.70MW by 1pm, with several major generating plants recording zero output.
The sharp decline triggered electricity outages in parts of the country and renewed concerns over the reliability of the national power system, which has suffered repeated disruptions and generation shortfalls.
Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) real-time generation portal, niggrid.org, showed that electricity generation remained relatively stable during the morning before dropping sharply at about 12.40pm.
Within a few hours, more than 3,300MW of generation disappeared from the grid, according to the dashboard.
By the 1pm reading, only a handful of generating stations were contributing electricity to the grid, with Odukpani NIPP, Omotosho and Sapele among those recording limited output.
Major power stations, including Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji, recorded zero generation, alongside several gas-fired generating facilities.
At about 1.23pm, the NISO dashboard showed real-time generation at approximately 480MW, with only five generating companies recording electricity output.
The steep decline coincided with reports of power outages, as electricity consumers in different locations took to social media to complain about interruptions between approximately 12.45pm and 1.20pm.
Despite the dramatic fall in generation, NISO dismissed suggestions that the national grid had collapsed.
It maintained that there was no evidence of a system-wide grid disturbance at the time and indicated that its technical team was working to establish the cause of the unusual drop.
“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, Some of these things are trippings or other minor issues that, within minutes, you just see that it is fixed,” a senior NISO official said.