Nigeria’s national power grid experienced its 12th collapse of the year on December 11, 2024, cutting off electricity supply across the country. Reports from the Independent System Operator (ISO) revealed that by 2 PM, all power plants connected to the grid had ceased operations after generating an average of 3,087 megawatts earlier in the day.
The Jos Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the outage in its franchise areas, stating that grid failure occurred at 1:33 PM.
Efforts are underway to restore power, with distribution companies urging the public for patience as technicians work to address the issue.
This persistent grid instability raises significant concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, which has long been a source of frustration for citizens and businesses. Analysts point to systemic issues in power generation, transmission, and distribution, calling for comprehensive reforms to stabilize the grid and reduce the frequency of collapses.
Energy experts have emphasized the need for investments in renewable energy sources and decentralized power solutions to address the growing electricity demand and minimize dependence on the national grid. Meanwhile, citizens continue to grapple with the challenges posed by erratic power supply, which has hampered economic activities and daily life.
As the situation unfolds, officials have promised further updates and investigations to identify the root causes of this latest grid collapse.
Meanwhile, The country faces an imminent electricity blackout after the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) directed gas producers to halt supply of gas to indebted generation companies (GenCos).
In an X (formerly Twitter) post on its official account on Wednesday, the Nigeria National Grid revealed that NMDPRA’s directive to halt gas supply to GenCos is due to the over N2 trillion debts that the Federal Government and some GenCos owe gas producers in Nigeria.
The tweet pointed out that NMDPRA stated that the substantial debts owed to producers had hindered their ability to sustain operations.
“An electricity blackout is imminent following the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s directive to gas producers to cease supplying gas to indebted generation companies (GenCos).”
“NMDPRA stated that the substantial debts owed to producers had hindered their ability to sustain operations. It called on gas off-takers, particularly power generation companies, to ensure timely payment for the gas supplied.“
The federal government and some GenCos currently owe over N2 trillion in legacy debts to gas producers in Nigeria,” the tweet read.
