The Federal Government has said that the nationwide blackout witnessed on Thursday is due to a fire incident and an explosion on the Kainji/Jebba 330kV line 2.
Power consumers, however, kicked against the un-ending excuses of the government as regards power generation and supply in Nigeria, despite privatising the generation and distribution arms of the sector since November 2013.
The PUNCH reported on Thursday that there was widespread blackout across the country following the total collapse of Nigeria’s electricity grid early Thursday morning.
The report stated that the grid collapsed totally around 12.40am on September 14, 2023, leading to the massive loss of supply to power distributors nationwide.
Multiple sources in the power sector, as well electricity distribution companies confirmed the development, as the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc had issued a notice titled, ‘Notice of Total System Collapse.”
In the notice, it said, “The EEDC wishes to inform its esteemed customers of a total system collapse which occurred at 12:40am today, September 14, 2023.
“This has resulted to the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network. Due to this development, all our interface TCN (Transmission Company of Nigeria) stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
“We are on standby, awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre, Osogbo.”
The notice was signed by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh.About a week ago, the Transmission Company of Nigeria had celebrated what it described as 400 days of power grid stability in Nigeria, as it claimed that the grid witnessed no collapse all through the 400-day period.
But giving details of what led to the collapse of the grid in a Facebook post on Thursday, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, explained that a fire outbreak at Kainji/Jebba located in the North-Central part of Nigeria caused the blackout.
The President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, and coordinator, Power Sector Perspectives, Kunle Olubiyo, said until the root causes of grid collapse were addressed, the situation would continue.
“As long as we refuse to address the fundamental root causes of system collapse, distortions, instability and related concerns, the recent feat by TCN shall be a spike or flash in the pan.
“Particularly, coming at time when there is low generation, low load dispatch and low energy utilisation. So it might not be out of place to describe the feat (by TCN) as a fluke.”
