National Grid Collapses Again for Second Time in 2026
- The national electricity grid suffered its second system collapse of 2026, plunging several parts of the country into darkness
- Distribution companies confirmed widespread outages shortly after the grid failure was recorded
- The incident revived concerns over the fragility of Nigeria’s power transmission infrastructure
Nigeria’s electricity transmission system suffered another major disruption on Tuesday, January 27, as the national grid collapsed for the second time in 2026, throwing large parts of the country into darkness.
The latest grid failure occurred barely four days after a similar incident earlier in the year, compounding concerns over the fragility of Nigeria’s power infrastructure and its ability to support steady electricity supply for households and businesses.
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Generation drops to near zero
Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator’s grid performance dashboard showed a sharp fall in real-time electricity generation.
As of about 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, total generation had plunged to 39 megawatts, with power coming from only one generating company.
Several other plants on the grid were recorded as producing zero output at the time of the disturbance.
Further confirmation of the collapse emerged from load allocation figures, which indicated that electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies nationwide dropped to 0.00 megawatts. The development effectively shut down public power supply across the country within minutes.
The first national grid collapse of 2026 was recorded on Friday, January 23, when real-time data showed total generation falling to zero megawatts. That incident also resulted in widespread blackouts before gradual restoration began.
DisCos confirm widespread outage
Electricity distribution companies quickly acknowledged the disruption, with several issuing public notices to customers. Eko Electricity Distribution Company attributed the blackout to a system disturbance affecting the national grid.
“Kindly be informed that there was a system collapse at 10:48 hrs, which has resulted in a loss of power supply across our network,” the company said.
EKEDC added that efforts were underway to restore electricity in collaboration with the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
“We are currently working with our TCN partners and hope for the speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as the power supply is restored. Kindly bear with us.”
Source: Legit.ng
