Nigeria’s fragile electricity grid collapsed once again on Saturday morning, leading to a nationwide blackout. This marks the third collapse in the past seven days and the eighth overall this year. The recurring power outages have added to the frustrations of businesses and households across the country.
As of 2:30 p.m., the electricity supply from distribution companies (DisCos) had slightly improved, with a total load of 450 megawatts (MW). However, this figure falls far short of the national grid’s target of 4,800 MW. Below is the breakdown of the power load distributed to various DisCos:
- Abuja DisCo: 80 MW
- Benin DisCo: 70 MW
- Eko DisCo: 70 MW
- Enugu DisCo: 0 MW
- Ibadan DisCo: 100 MW
- Ikeja DisCo: 130 MW
- Jos DisCo: 0 MW
- Kaduna DisCo: 0 MW
- Kano DisCo: 0 MW
- Port Harcourt DisCo: 0 MW
- Yola DisCo: 0 MW
The national grid collapse has resulted in zero electricity supply to several regions. However, some areas remained powered due to what is described as “Island Mode,” a condition where microgrids operate independently of the main grid. This allows certain regions to receive electricity even during nationwide outages, with “off-grid” generation sources ensuring continued supply in those areas.
The frequent power grid collapses have heightened calls for reforms and investments in Nigeria’s energy sector to provide a more stable and reliable electricity supply.