Just two days after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) celebrated a peak electricity generation of 6,000 megawatts (MW), the national grid suffered a major collapse, plummeting to 1,400MW on Friday and leaving much of the country in darkness.
As of 1:00 a.m. on Friday, the grid’s 25 active power plants were generating approximately 5,623MW. However, by 7:00 a.m., generation had dropped sharply to 3,585MW and continued to decline, reaching 1,400MW by 3:00 p.m. the same day.
Several electricity distribution companies (DisCos) quickly notified customers of a system failure, with Ikeja Electric confirming via its X handle that its franchise area had been cut off from the grid. “Restoration of supply is ongoing in collaboration with our critical stakeholders,” the company stated. Similarly, Eko Electricity Distribution Company reported a widespread outage, assuring customers that efforts were underway to restore power.
A review of the grid network showed that key power plants—including Afam, Egbin, Geregu, Jebba, Kainji, Olorunsogo, and Okpai—went offline around 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
Earlier in the week, Minister Adelabu had announced a record-high available power generation of 6,003MW on Sunday, March 2, 2025, marking Nigeria’s highest-ever electricity generation. The minister attributed the achievement to collaborative efforts by the Federal Ministry of Power and key industry stakeholders to strengthen the nation’s power infrastructure.
Similarly, TCN had reported a peak transmission of 5,801.84MW and a record daily energy delivery of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours (MWh) on March 4, 2025, describing it as a testament to gradual progress in the power sector despite existing challenges.
In a statement, TCN management confirmed: “The peak generation of 5,801.84MW, with a frequency of 49.69Hz, was successfully transmitted by TCN and optimally utilized by the Distribution Companies (DisCos) during peak hours.”
The latest grid collapse, however, underscores the persistent instability of Nigeria’s power sector, raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of recent improvements.
