National Grid Collapse Plunging Nigeria Into Darkness

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has yet to provide a clear explanation for the abrupt collapse of the national grid that occurred at 12:40 am on Thursday. As of 8:37 am, the 11 electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) were left without any power allocation.

Despite numerous attempts to seek clarification, TCN’s Public Affairs General Manager, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, remained unresponsive to inquiries from The Nation regarding the cause of the grid failure.

Signs of trouble had emerged as early as 10:00 pm on Wednesday when nearly all 26 electricity generation plants experienced a significant decline in output to 0MW, according to data obtained by The Nation from the Independent System Operator.

This widespread power outage has plunged the entire Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) into darkness, affecting millions of households and businesses across the nation.

Some electricity Distribution Companies, including the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), have taken the initiative to inform their customers about the situation. In a message released to customers, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, the Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, confirmed the grid’s collapse, which has resulted in a loss of supply in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.

EEDC’s message reads: “The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a total system collapse which occurred at 12:40 am today, 14th September 2023. This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network. Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo.”