National grid collapses for ninth time in 2024

The national power grid experienced another collapse on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, marking the ninth time that Nigerians have been plunged into total darkness.

According to data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal (niggrid.org), power generation dropped to an unprecedented zero megawatts from 2:00 pm, affecting all 22 operational generation companies (GenCos) nationwide.

This latest blackout is another blow to Nigeria’s struggling power sector, which has been plagued by instability, insufficient capacity, and frequent grid disturbances.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to release an official statement confirming the cause or the anticipated resolution time, leaving the public and stakeholders in the dark.

The first major blackout of the year occurred on February 4, 2024, when the grid’s capacity plummeted from 2,407 megawatts to a mere 31 MW by midday, hitting zero shortly after.

Since then, the grid has continued to falter, with subsequent breakdowns on August 5 and three times in October.

Notably, the October 14 collapse was followed by a partial failure the next day, and another disturbance occurred on October 19, narrowly avoiding a complete collapse.

Credit: BusinessDay