…as Lagos, others to return to normalcy within 24hrs
By Firdaus Jibril
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) have offered conflicting explanations for the recent nationwide electricity outages, even as power supply in Lagos and other affected regions are been restored to normalcy.
The inconsistency stems from a sequence of events triggered by supply interruptions affecting Ikeja Electric’s Band A feeders on November 3 and 4, which initially prompted the distribution company to blame grid instability.
In response, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) rejected the claims on Friday, citing an explanation by NISO that reduced electricity generation driven by gas supply constraints at thermal power stations and low water inflows at hydroelectric plants was to blame.
TCN maintained that its transmission network could only deliver available electricity and revealed that 68 per cent of interruptions on Ikeja Electric feeders on November 1 and 2 were frequency-control load shedding due to low generation, while others were linked to distribution network faults and non-compliance with load allocations.
However, NNPC pushed back against allegations that gas transportation issues were responsible for the drop in power generation.
In a statement on Saturday, November 7, the national oil company stated that operational records from its subsidiary, the NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC), showed no pipeline transportation constraints. NNPC noted that gas production volumes had actually increased by about 10 per cent year-to-date in 2026.
While acknowledging that pipeline availability does not automatically equate to sufficient fuel delivery at power plants, NNPC emphasized that commercial supply arrangements, gas offtake, and the operational readiness of generating units must be thoroughly examined.
The company called for a coordinated review of operational data across the gas-to-power value chain to accurately diagnose generation shortfalls.
Despite the back-and-forth among industry stakeholders regarding the root causes of the grid strain, the process of returning to normalcy has begun with Ikeja Disco and Eko Disco receiving up to 467MW and 458MW respectively as at 2:03pm on Sunday.
An official also disclosed that the Benin-Egbin 330kv line was primarily responsible for the ouatge due to a scheduled maintenance at the plant. As at Saturday, 5:07pm, the lines were restored with an initial load of 193MW.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe had over the weekend on Friday pledged the restoration of the normal cycle of power within 24-72hrs.
