National Grid Crisis: Transformer Explosion Causes Third Collapse – NERC

•Promises Investigative Hearing as Power Outages Disrupt States

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has confirmed that a current transformer explosion triggered the latest collapse of the national power grid, marking the third such incident within a week.

The grid failure occurred on Saturday morning at approximately 8:16 AM, disrupting power generation across the country.

In a statement shared on its social media platforms, NERC expressed concern over the increasing frequency of grid disturbances, which it noted have reversed many of the recent gains in improving infrastructure and grid stability.

“Initial reports indicate that today’s outage was triggered by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 8:15 AM, leading to a cascade of shutdowns in associated power plants,” the statement detailed.

Despite the setbacks, the commission reported that power restoration efforts were underway, with significant supply returning to 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory by 1:00 PM.

However, before the restoration, power generation had plummeted from a peak of 3,968 megawatts at 7 AM to a mere 47 megawatts by 9 AM.

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NERC also highlighted ongoing efforts to unbundle the System Operator function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc, aiming for improved grid management and infrastructure investment.

In a bid to address the recurring outages, the commission announced plans for an investigative public hearing to identify both immediate and long-term causes of these incidents.