The Federal Government has attributed electricity outages affecting Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and two other areas to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas supply constraints and the sabotage of key transmission lines.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday, explaining that the challenges had reduced electricity generation on the national grid and forced operators to ration available supply in some locations.
He said the first affected generating units were expected to return to operation within 48 to 72 hours, while other units would be restored in phases.
“Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations have reduced the amount of electricity available on the national grid,” Tegbe said.
The minister added that damage to transmission infrastructure had also affected the ability of operators to redirect electricity to areas experiencing shortages.
“Sabotage of key transmission lines has also restricted the use of alternative routes to supply some locations, especially Lagos,” he said.
Tegbe said the ministry was working with relevant power sector operators to improve gas deliveries to generating plants and accelerate repairs to damaged transmission infrastructure.
He apologised to households and businesses affected by the outages, promising that the ministry would provide further updates as electricity supply improved.
On November 4, the minister had directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and electricity distribution companies to address operational challenges responsible for the decline in power generation.
NISO had separately attributed the electricity shortfall to inadequate gas supplies to thermal power plants and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs.
The outages also triggered a disagreement between TCN and Ikeja Electric, with the transmission company disputing the distribution company’s claim that instability on the national grid was responsible for the disruptions.
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