Residents of some parts of Lagos have been grappling with power outages in the last 48 hours following the shut down of the Egbin Power Station.
The facility, located in the Ikorodu area of Lagos has an installed capacity of 1,3000 megawatts and supplies significant power to the national grid.
According to a statement released on Thursday by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the power-generating plant shut down around 8 pm on Tuesday, April 28, recording a total loss of power generation, with output dropping from about 641MW to zero.
The System Operator said the shutdown was caused by failure of the plant’s central compressor, and a malfunction of the circulating water pump system.
“At approximately 8:21 p.m. on April 28, 2026, Egbin Power Station recorded a total loss of generation, dropping from about 641MW to zero output,” NISO stated.
“This incident was caused by the failure of the plant’s central compressor, in addition to a malfunction of the circulating water pump system, which necessitated an immediate shutdown of all generating units to safeguard the facility.”
NISO stated that a transmission line along the Osogbo–Ikeja West experienced disruption leading to forced outage which further compounded power supply in the Lagos region.
“Power supply to the Lagos region is currently further restricted due to the forced outage of the Osogbo–Ikeja West 330kV transmission line, thereby limiting the evacuation of available generation into the Lagos load centre,” NISO added.
The development, according to the System Operator, has led to significant supply shortages from the national grid, forcing authorities to resort to load shedding to ensure grid stability and prevent wider system disturbances.
In a notice shared on Friday morning, Ikeja Electric apologised to its customers for the power supply challenges in some parts of its network, which it attributed to shortage of power supply from the national grid.
“As part of efforts to maintain grid stability and ensure equitable distribution of available power, temporary load shedding is being implemented across affected feeders and locations,” Ikeja DisCos stated.
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The DisCo assured that its officials are working closely with relevant stakeholders “to improve supply and minimize the impact on Our customers as quickly as possible.”
The incident has affected parts of Isolo, Ilasa, Surulere, Ikeja and many more under the Ikeja DisCo network.
There are concerns that the electricity challenge may linger as there is no specific timeline for repairs or restoration.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in Mass Communication. He can be reached via @VICTOREZEJA on X