Power supply set to improve within 72 hours as FG addresses grid constraints

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said electricity supply will begin to improve within 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government addresses generation and transmission constraints that caused recent outages, according to Nairametrics and PUNCH.

He explained that the shortfall stems from planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Station in Lagos, Nigeria's largest thermal plant, which provides about 16% of the national grid's electricity.

The minister added that maintenance at Egbin, gas supply constraints at thermal stations, and reduced output from hydropower plants have lowered electricity on the grid, prompting load shedding. He also noted sabotage of key transmission lines has limited alternative routes to Lagos.

Disagreement Over Outages

The power crisis has led to a dispute between the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ikeja Electric over the cause of recent interruptions, according to Nairametrics and PUNCH. TCN released a statement on Friday accusing Ikeja Electric of misleading customers by blaming grid instability for outages on 3 and 4 November.

TCN said low generation caused by inadequate gas supply and reduced hydroelectric output was to blame, and that NISO had found no transmission network failure. It reported that 68% of interruptions on Ikeja Electric feeders resulted from frequency‑control load shedding due to low generation, 26% from Ikeja Electric failing to meet load allocations alongside network faults and maintenance, and the remaining six percent from TCN maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.

The dispute follows an apology from Ikeja Electric to customers on some Band A feeders for missing the minimum daily supply requirement of 20 hours on 3 and 4 November.