Nigeria’s grid generation fell about 88% on Oct. 19, data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed, while BusinessDay reported power interruptions that raised concerns about supply to households and businesses.
The NISO dashboard recorded 476.70 megawatts at 8 a.m. ET (12:00 UTC), compared with about 3,840 megawatts at 2 a.m. ET (06:00 UTC). BusinessDay placed the start of the steep decline at about 7:40 a.m. ET (11:40 UTC).
An unnamed senior NISO official told BusinessDay the national grid had not collapsed and said it was not experiencing a disturbance when the official spoke. The official said interruptions in specific areas would not necessarily mean a nationwide grid failure.
BusinessDay said social media users described power interruptions between about 7:45 and 8:20 a.m. ET (11:45 to 12:20 UTC). Their geographic extent was unclear. Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji were among the plants showing zero output on the NISO dashboard.
BusinessDay reported that Nigeria had experienced other grid disturbances and collapses this year. The Federal Government has approved plans for new eastern and western power grids to improve stability; the report gave no development timetable.
