Blackout: Dispute Over Cause of Latest National Grid Collapse in Nigeria

Uncertainty surrounds the cause of Wednesday’s national grid collapse, which left Nigeria in darkness yet again.

Generation companies (GenCos) have attributed the blackout to a suspension of gas supply caused by legacy debts exceeding ₦2 trillion. However, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has denied issuing any directive to gas suppliers to cut supply to GenCos over the debts.

In a statement to DAILY POST on Wednesday, NMDPRA clarified its position following reports suggesting it had ordered wholesale gas suppliers to halt deliveries to GenCos due to unpaid obligations.

The grid collapse, which occurred at approximately 1:36 PM on Wednesday, marks the 12th incident in 2024, according to the Jos Electricity Distribution Company.

NMDPRA has absolved itself of responsibility for the blackout, emphasizing that its recent stakeholder engagement in Lagos with the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), and other industry stakeholders had no connection to the outage.

“The engagement was aimed at sensitizing stakeholders about the requirements, opportunities, and benefits of implementing the wholesale supply license as outlined in sections 142 and 197 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. It had no bearing on the national grid failure,” the agency stated.

NMDPRA further reassured stakeholders and the public that measures are being taken to ensure uninterrupted natural gas and petroleum product supply as the festive season approaches and into 2025.

Meanwhile, Dr. Joy Ogaji, CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, confirmed that gas suppliers had indeed halted supply to GenCos.

She explained that gas producers formally notified the power generation companies about the suspension, which is linked to rising debt levels.

“The total debt has now surpassed ₦2.7 trillion. Gas suppliers have stopped supply, and since 70% of thermal GenCos rely on gas, this triggered the power outage,” she said.

As of the time of reporting, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, which manages the national grid, has not issued any statement on the collapse.

However, DAILY POST learned that power restoration has begun, with bulk electricity supply already restored to parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Wednesday night.