The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has attributed Saturday’s national grid collapse to an explosion at the Jebba transmission station.
The incident, which occurred at 08:15 AM, was triggered by the explosion of a current transformer, leading to a cascade of power plant shutdowns due to loss of load.
In a statement, NERC expressed concern over the rising frequency of grid disturbances, which have resulted in widespread outages across multiple states.
It said these setbacks had begun to reverse some of the progress made in improving grid stability and addressing the nation’s infrastructure deficit.
NERC in an X post said efforts to restore power had progressed, with supply restored to 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by 1:00 PM.
NERC also noted that, as part of the Electricity Act 2023, the unbundling of the system operator function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is underway.
This move, it said is expected to bring about more discipline in grid management and attract better investment in infrastructure.
To address the recurring grid disturbances, NERC announced plans to conduct an investigative public hearing.
The hearing aims to identify both the immediate and underlying causes of the frequent outages.
NERC said details of the date and venue would be published in national newspapers, and that stakeholders are urged to participate in the process.
PM News
