Nigeria experienced a nationwide blackout on Monday following the collapse of the national electricity grid, marking the sixth system failure this year. The grid went down at exactly 6:58 PM, causing widespread power outages across the country.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) confirmed the collapse through a statement on X (formerly Twitter), informing its customers that the system failure disrupted power supply in its franchise areas. AEDC assured the public that they are working closely with relevant stakeholders to restore power as soon as the grid stabilizes.
“Please be informed that the power outage being experienced is due to a system failure from the national grid at 6:58pm today, affecting the power supply to our franchise areas. Rest assured, we are working with the relevant stakeholders to restore power as soon as the grid is stabilised,” AEDC’s statement read.
Similarly, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) issued a statement through its head of corporate communications, Emeka Ezeh, confirming the blackout in the southeastern region of the country. Ezeh stated that the collapse impacted electricity distribution in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states, as all their interface Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) stations were without power. He added that the company is awaiting updates from the National Control Centre (NCC) in Osogbo.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) also communicated that it is working with stakeholders to restore power supply to its customers.
National Grid Blackout Occurence In 2024
This marks the sixth grid collapse in 2024. Earlier incidents occurred on August 5, July 6, April 15, March 28, and February 4, plunging parts of the country into darkness. Despite efforts by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to minimize the frequency of grid failures, the power sector continues to face significant challenges.
TCN had previously deployed a Generation Dip/Loss Detection System (GLDS) to detect and respond swiftly to sudden drops in power generation. However, system failures persist, sparking concerns about the resilience of Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure.
In May, TCN reported a 76.47% decline in grid collapses over the past five years, noting a reduction from 85 incidents between 2015 and 2019 to 20 from 2020 till May 2024. While this is an improvement, the recurring failures continue to affect millions of Nigerians.
As the country grapples with yet another outage, the focus remains on finding sustainable solutions to ensure a more reliable and efficient power supply system.
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