The Federal Government has confirmed the grid collapse that has left major Nigerian cities in blackouts this weekend, stating that a system collapse occurred at 18:30 hours on Friday, April 8.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Isa Sanusi, SA (Media) for the Honourable Minister of the Ministry of Power.
The ministry assured Nigerians that the FG is working on reforms needed to improve Nigeria’s operational capacity with electricity distribution.
What the ministry is saying
In the statement, the ministry said, “We wish to notify the general public of the incidence of a system collapse which occurred at 18:30 hrs on April 8, 2022, resulting in power outages in many parts of the country.”
It stated that a detailed investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the recurring grid failure is currently ongoing by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and System Operator, the national grid operator.
It also added that the process of restoring supply is ongoing with some sections of the national grid already energized and supply restored to consumers.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that the FG is working assiduously to deliver on the much-needed reforms and investments, including SCADA, that are critical to improving the capacity and reliability of the national grid,” it stated.
It added that it will be in line with the administration’s directive on boosting infrastructure in critical sectors of the economy.
The Ministry in another statement blamed the grid collapse on an act of vandalism on a transmission tower on the Odukpani-Ikot Ekpene 330KV double circuit transmission
It said, “The immediate cause of national blackout (system collapse) was an act of vandalism on a transmission tower on the Odukpani—Ikot Ekpene 330kV double circuit transmission line thus resulting in a sudden loss of about 400MW of generation.”
They added that other on-grid power plants are being dispatched to cover the lost generation capacity from the Calabar power plant owned by Niger Power Holding Company Ltd.
In case you missed it
Recall Nairametrics reported earlier that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company on Saturday morning, revealed the system collapsed at about 6:30 pm and 8:50 pm on Friday causing the outage currently being experienced.
“We appeal for your understanding as all stakeholders are working hard to restore normal supply,” it added.
Also, Eko Electricity Distribution Company said the grid collapse affected its entire network.
“Good evening everyone. We regret to inform you that the current outage affecting our entire network is due to system collapse,” EKEDC stated.
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