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The power situation in the country has moved out of the frying pan into the fire as the national grid suffered its first collapse in 2024.
According to data from the power ministry, the electricity generation on the grid dropped from 2,407MW around 11.53 am to 31MW by noon on Sunday, February 4, 2024, before collapsing to 0MW an hour later.
This means by 1 pm, power generation on the national grid had crashed to zero, leading to widespread blackouts across the country.
Meanwhile, power distribution companies blamed the development on the collapse of the grid managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), an agency of the Federal Government.
Kaduna Disco confirmed in a statement the loss of bulk power supply, which left Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi states in darkness on Sunday.
Figures from the TCN also showed that, bar Ibom power plant with a meagre 31 megawatts, all 20 power plants were offline by 11:51 am on Sunday.
Though the lack of regular power supply has been a perennial problem in Nigeria, the situation has gotten worse since the start of the year as Nigerians experienced a massive dip in electricity supply to their homes and workplaces.
Responding to the situation on January 25, the TCN said the nationwide power shortage was caused by a gas shortage.
The company noted that there had been a gradual decrease in available power generation into the national grid due to gas constraints to the power generating companies.
Offering further explanations, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the Federal Government was working to ensure outstanding payments are made to power generation companies to resolve the blackout.
“Power supply during the yuletide improved, but unfortunately we have experienced setbacks in the New Year.
“After investigations, it is clear that the main cause of poor power supply is the low supply of gas to GenCos.
“I visited facilities in Olorunsogo, Ogun State, and Omotosho, Ondo State to understand the challenges firsthand,“ Adelabu said after a meeting with stakeholders last Friday.