Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IE) has explained why some parts of Lagos State and by extension, nationwide is experiencing power supply disruption.
Egbin Power Station, one of the largest thermal power stations in the country, has been temporarily shut down to facilitate maintenance work on a crucial gas pipeline.
The Egbin power station is located in the Ikorodu area of Lagos state and supplies around 16% of the total electricity to the National Grid.
It has an installed capacity of 1320MW which makes it the largest provider of electricity in Nigeria.
The plant’s closure, according to Ikeja Electric is necessary to allow the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) to conduct vital maintenance on the gas pipeline that supplies the facility.
The DisCo in an announcement on its official X handle on Wednesday, apologised for the inconvenience.
It said: “Please be informed that the current power supply disruption is as a result of the ongoing maintenance work on the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) gas pipeline supplying gas to Egbin Power Generation Company”.
“Consequently, this has led to temporary shut down of the plant, resulting in extensive load shedding nationwide
“We sincerely apologise for inconvenience caused by this situation…”
The temporary shutdown of the Egbin Power Station has resulted in a significant reduction of power available to distribution companies and load centers nationwide.
The shutdown, commenced at 11:13 hours on December 18, 2023, is expected to last for three days, causing a substantial reduction in the national power grid’s capacity.
