Nigerians woke up to another day of darkness as the national grid collapsed again on Saturday, October 19, 2024, marking the third time in just one week and the eighth grid disturbance this year.
Power generation shut down around 8:16 a.m., following earlier trips on Monday and Tuesday during restoration efforts.
Power generation stood at 3,042 megawatts at 8 a.m, Peaked at 3,968MW at 7 a.m.
Dropped significantly to 47MW by 9 a.m, Allocation to power distribution companies was 0.00MW at the time of reporting.
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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has yet to confirm the incident or provide reasons for the collapse. Data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal showed an unprecedented zero megawatts (MW) as of 8:16 a.m., with all 22 generation companies (GenCos) down.
This recurring issue highlights Nigeria’s struggles with power supply.
The International Energy Agency reported 46 grid collapses between 2017 and 2023, mainly due to aged infrastructure and vandalism.
The country’s energy sector continues to face challenges, impacting economic growth and daily life.
Nigeria’s first blackout of 2024 occurred on February 4, when the national grid collapsed at 11:51 a.m., plummeting from 2,407 megawatts to 31MW by noon and shutting down completely by 1 p.m.
