The Nigerian government has attributed the latest national grid collapse, which occurred on Saturday, October 19, 2024, to an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station. This incident marks the third grid failure in the past week.
In a joint statement issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), it was revealed that the transformer explosion occurred at 8:15 AM, causing widespread outages across the country.
“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission notes with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outage in several states,” the NERC said. “Initial reports on the grid disturbance that occurred this morning indicate that today’s outage was triggered by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station.”
Efforts to restore power began shortly after the incident, with significant progress made by 1:00 PM, as electricity was restored to 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The TCN also confirmed this development, stating, “Power supply has been fully restored.”
The NERC added that the government is working towards finding a permanent solution to the grid instability. “In pursuit of finding a permanent resolution to the challenges of the national grid, the Commission shall shortly conduct an investigative public hearing to identify immediate and remote causes of recurring incidence of grid disturbances and widespread outages,” the NERC statement read.
This is the eighth time the grid has collapsed in 2024. The NERC also noted that the unbundling of the System Operator function from the TCN, as outlined in the Electricity Act 2023, is underway and is expected to improve grid management and reduce future failures.
