Finally, He Explains the Reasons for the Frequent Crashes of the National Grid and Takes Action

• Nigerian federal government issued a statement regarding frequent national grid crashes
• In 2024 alone, the grid has collapsed 10 times, with the two most recent events occurring just 48 hours apart.
• Nigeria currently supplies electricity to other African countries including Togo, Benin Republic and Ghana

legit.ng Journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of Nigeria. economystocks and general market trends.

federal government He blamed the limited infrastructure of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) as the key factor behind Nigeria’s recurring national grid failures.

This was announced by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in a statement shared on X.

The forces behind the collapse of the national grid

In the statement Titled “Why the national grid is collapsing,” NOA explained that although the country has the potential to generate and transmit significantly more electricity, the limited power distribution capacity of DisCos leads to grid instability and periodic national outages.

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He noted that the country can generate about 13,000 MW of electricity and transmit about 8,000 MW, but this will also lead to system failure, given the limited infrastructure of DisCos.

The authority also said DisCos rejected around 1,400 MW of the 5,313 MW of electricity generated by generation companies last month, Punch reported.

Part of the statement is as follows:

“Nigeria can generate up to 13,610 megawatts (MW) and has a transmission capacity of approximately 8,100 MW.

“However, DisCos’ distribution infrastructure remains limited to approximately 4,000 MW, resulting in repeated system failures.

“At the beginning of September, the country reached peak production level of 5,313 MW, but around 1,400 MW was reportedly rejected by DisCos due to technical constraints in their networks.”

The NOA statement also emphasized the impact of these capacity issues on grid stability.

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“Last month, on September 2, the highest production in three years was achieved, but DisCos rejected almost 1,400 MW due to the fragility of their systems, he said, adding that such rejections contributed to will cause the grid to collapse.”

Why are DisCos struggling?

Speaking further, NOA highlighted that covering costs is a key challenge for DisCos, hampering their ability to invest in necessary upgrades.

He noted that electricity companies face financial pressures that deter the infrastructure investments needed for a stable system, affecting their capacity to effectively distribute more electricity to consumers.

The statement noted the following:

“Cost recovery is the most important issue DisCos’ challenge, this prevented them from upgrading their distribution substations and facilities.

“In response, the government has introduced measures to improve the financial sustainability of the sector, including a recent increase in tariffs for Group A customers aimed at increasing revenue and encouraging private investment.”

FG takes action

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NOA also noted the ongoing government efforts to resolve these long-standing problems under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

This includes plant upgrades supported by the Siemens project, which has increased the capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to generate up to 6,000 MW of power, with additional ongoing projects.

“With the recent completion of the 700 MW Zungeru hydropower plant, Nigeria’s national grid now has an installed generation capacity of 13,610 MW.”

National Grid crashes again

legit.ng previously for the 10th time in 2024 and the 2nd time on a daily basis, national grid collapsed and many parts of the country were plunged into darkness.

Electric companies announce collapse messages Posted on social media accounts for customers.

Source: Legit.ng