ELECTRICITY: National grid rises to 4,384MW after collapse

Power generation rose above 4,000 megawatts on Tuesday after the national grid collapse that left the country without public electricity supply for several hours the previous day.

Checks by Vanguard of data provided by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the grid had recovered to 4,384.4MW, with 19 power generation companies connected to the system.

The data indicated that hydro power plants were the top three suppliers, with Zungeru generating 651MW, Kainji producing 524MW, and Jebba contributing 515MW.

Load allocation to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) stood at 3,615MW. Abuja DisCo received 553MW, Ikeja Electric 546MW, while Eko DisCo offtook 465MW.

In a statement, NISO explained that the collapse was caused by a system disturbance, adding that its officials had commenced an investigation into the incident.

“The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) wishes to inform the general public and relevant stakeholders that the National Grid experienced a system disturbance at 14:01 hours on Monday, 29 December 2025 that led to a partial collapse.

“It would be recalled that the Lagos–Escravos-Lagos gas pipeline was vandalized on 10 December 2025 which led to the shortage in power generation in the country. This has further led to the fragility and weakness of the national grid.

“Preliminary reports indicate that the disturbance involved the tripping of several generating units and critical 330kV transmission lines, resulting in a widespread impact on electricity supply across parts of the country.

“However, the Delta generation complex successfully operated on island mode at the 132kV sub-transmission voltage level. This enabled the continued supply of electricity to Oghara, Amukpe, Benin, and Efunrun 132kV substations, with a total generation of 114 megawatts from four units at the Delta Thermal Power Station”, the agency added.

It explained that “In line with established Operational Procedures, NISO promptly initiated system response measures using its dispatch and monitoring tools at the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo.

“Supply has been fully restored to all parts of the country and the system stability has normalized. Investigations into the cause and sequence of events leading to the system disturbance are currently ongoing. Appropriate measures shall be put in place to forestall future reoccurrence of such major system incidents”.