Korede Abdullah 
OGUN, Nigeria – Nigeria’s electricity generation fell sharply on Monday, October 19, dropping from 3,840 megawatts (MW) in the morning to 476.70MW by 1pm, as electricity consumers in Lagos and Ogun experienced reduced supply.
Data attributed to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that generation declined by 3,363.30MW, representing an 87.59 per cent fall from the reported morning level.
The decline was accompanied by supply restrictions affecting parts of Lagos and Ogun, while Abuja also experienced outages.
Ikeja Electric said customers across its network were receiving fewer hours of electricity because the amount of power allocated to the distribution company from the national grid had fallen.
In Ogun State, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company reported restrictions on the Ota/Papalanto/Abeokuta 132-kilovolt transmission network, affecting supply to parts of Ota, Ifo and Abeokuta. Despite the sharp decline in generation, NISO denied that the country had experienced a national grid collapse.
The operator attributed the disruption to system abnormalities and generating plants tripping offline, rather than a complete collapse of the national electricity grid.
Several major power stations, including Egbin, Jebba, Shiroro and Kainji, reportedly recorded zero output during the period, leaving fewer generating stations supplying electricity.
NISO said its technical team would investigate the abnormalities to determine the cause of the sharp fall in generation. The disruption highlights the vulnerability of electricity supply to homes and businesses when generation falls sharply, or transmission constraints limit the delivery of available power.
Businesses that rely on consistent electricity, including manufacturers, traders and small enterprises, can face higher operating costs when forced to depend on petrol- or diesel-powered generators. Households may also experience additional expenses and disruption to daily activities.
Nigeria’s power sector continues to face challenges involving electricity generation, transmission capacity, fuel supply and the distribution of available power to consumers.
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Hope Ajayi