Twenty-four hours after Nigeria’s national grid collapsed, power generation has rebounded, reaching 4,410 megawatts (MW) as of Saturday evening, checks by Pinnacle Daily reveal.
Pinnacle Daily reports that as of 5:00 pm on Saturday, January 24, power generation has recovered, reaching 4,410.54 megawatts (MW). According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) GRID performance dashboard, this was collectively generated by 23 GenCos out of about 28 power plants connected to the grid.
All the power plants connected to the grid reportedly lost output after the grid experienced a system disturbance on Friday, resulting in zero allocation to 11 distribution companies serving different parts of the country. Power generation plunged from over 4,500 MW to a staggering 24 MW in less than an hour.
This was the first grid collapse recorded in the country in 2026. This is after recording about five major incidents of grid collapses in 2025 and 12 cases in 2024.
In an update on Friday evening, January 23, NISO said power supply has been restored to some parts of the country following recovery efforts by the system operator.
The system disturbance that occurred at 12:40 pm on Friday resulted in a total outage across the country.
NISO said preliminary findings indicated that the incident was caused by the simultaneous tripping of multiple 330 kV transmission lines and the disconnection of some power-generating units connected to the grid.
READ ALSO:
- NISO Blames GenCo Tripping For Loss Of Power To National Grid
- TCN Battles 131 Vandalism Cases in 2025 Amid Record Power Generation
- FG to DisCos: Meter Installation is Free, Warns against Extortion of Consumers
“These events collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated,” NISO stated.
The independent system operator said the restoration began at about 1:15 pm in accordance with established grid restoration and recovery procedures.
It said that as of the time of the update, electricity supply has been restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro and parts of Lagos, while efforts are being made to restore power to other parts of the country.
The grid operator said that a detailed investigation into the “root and contributory causes of the disturbance is currently ongoing.”
“The full restoration and stabilisation of the grid remains a top operational priority,” it assured.
In separate statements released on Saturday, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) confirmed that power supply is being restored to their stations and feeders.
“There have been some improvements in power supply; however, parts of our network are currently experiencing load shedding as the national grid is yet to fully stabilise,” Eko DisCo stated.
It said it will continue to engage with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and hopes for speedy restoration and stabilisation of the grid.
“We are pleased to inform our esteemed customers that power supply has been restored to all our transmission stations.
“Kindly be informed that our feeders are being restored gradually,” PHED stated, urging customers to exercise patience as the grid is being stabilised.
Meanwhile, TCN has informed us that it would carry out a scheduled maintenance exercise on its 60 MVA 132/33 kV transformer (3APH TR1) and associated switchgear at the Apo 132/33 kV Transmission Substation on Saturday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
In a statement signed by General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, TCN said that during the maintenance period, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) will not be able to off-take bulk power for distribution to customers in Gudu District, Gaduwa, Durumi, Printing and Minting, Garki, and environs.
Other parts of Abuja affected by the maintenance exercise include Arab Road, Dei-Dei and environs, Jiwa, parts of Gwagwa, FCT Water Board (Usman Dam), ISS Usman Dam, Jordan Farm, Gwarimpa Extension/Karsana, and parts of Dutse Alhaji.
Mbah assured that the power supply would be restored immediately after completion of the maintenance work.
While 4,410 MW sounds like a recovery, it is merely returning to a baseline that is globally considered “survival mode” for a nation of over 200 million people.
All generation plants in Nigeria have 13,000 MW as total installed capacity, but currently, power generated and wheeled to the national grid hovers between 4,500 MW and 5,000 MW, raising concerns about low access to electricity with its attendant implications for socioeconomic activities across the country.
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.
