The failure of Nigeria’s power grid caused blackouts across the country. On September 14, Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies reported a “complete collapse of the system,” Reuters reports.
Electricity production dropped to zero in the early hours of the day and rose to 273 MW by 10:30 GMT, well below the daily average of 4100 MW.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) did not comment on the situation.
Reuters notes that Nigeria, a major oil and gas producer, has an unstable grid electricity supply. This forces households and businesses to use diesel and gasoline generators.
In 2022, the network collapsed at least four times. The authorities explained this by technical problems.
Nigeria has 12,500 MW of installed capacity, but produces about a quarter of it.
President Bola Tinubu has promised to improve supply by allowing state governments to build their own power plants to boost economic growth.
