Nigeria faced yet another nationwide blackout on Saturday following the collapse of the national electricity grid. This marks the third collapse within a week, and the eighth recorded in 2024. Data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal showed that the grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of 9:10 AM on October 19, disrupting electricity supply across the country.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) explained that the collapse was triggered by an explosion at the bus section of a current transformer at the 330-kilovolt (kV) Jebba transmission substation in Niger State. According to a statement by Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, a protection system was activated to curtail the explosion and prevent further damage. This led to a temporary disturbance in the grid, which engineers quickly worked to rectify by isolating the faulty transformer and restoring power to affected regions.

This collapse is part of a troubling pattern, with other incidents occurring on February 4, March 28, April 15, July 6, August 5, and more recently, on October 14 and 15. Despite assurances from TCN earlier this year that system collapses had reduced by 76.47 percent in the last five years, these recent events paint a different picture.

Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu has acknowledged the challenges posed by outdated infrastructure, attributing the recurring system failures to an aging and overstretched national grid. Adelabu emphasized that without significant investment in power infrastructure, future collapses are inevitable. He advocated for decentralizing the power sector by introducing multiple regional grids to minimize the impact of a failure in one part of the country on the entire nation. This move, he said, is supported by the Electricity Act, which allows state and local governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.

Analysis of Nigeria’s Power Situation

The recurring collapse of Nigeria’s national grid highlights the fragile state of the country’s electricity infrastructure. Despite the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s claims of progress, the repeated failures suggest deeper systemic issues. The centralized nature of Nigeria’s power grid, where a single failure can disrupt the entire nation, makes it highly vulnerable. With eight collapses recorded so far in 2024, it is evident that the current grid is inadequate for Nigeria’s energy demands.

The minister’s push for decentralization could offer a way forward. Regional grids would localize the impact of failures, ensuring that disturbances in one area do not lead to nationwide blackouts. However, decentralization alone will not solve the underlying issue of outdated infrastructure. Significant investment is required not just in transmission but also in generation and distribution networks. Moreover, the grid needs advanced protection mechanisms and better maintenance to handle technical faults and prevent incidents like the transformer explosion at Jebba.

In the short term, frequent blackouts will continue to hinder Nigeria’s economic growth, affect businesses, and disrupt daily life. The long-term solution lies in overhauling the grid, promoting regional solutions, and ensuring that new investments are strategically placed to modernize Nigeria’s power sector. Without these steps, the country risks enduring a prolonged energy crisis.