- We’ll add 150mw to power grid by year-end – Adelabu
The National power grid on Wednesday collapsed for the eleventh time this year, 2024.
It was disclosed on the official X handle of Nigeria’s National Grid that the grid collapsed at about 2:09 pm on Wednesday.
Within one week in October, the grid collapsed three times with its attendant blackouts, sparking reactions from Nigerians.
Before Wednesday’s setback, the grid had collapsed ten times since January.
The statement said: “The major grid setback has occurred and the restoration is to commence.”
This has led to a nationwide blackout.
Data obtained from the Nigerian system operator’s portal showed that the grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of 2:00 pm on Wednesday.
However, the Abuja Electric Distribution Company on its X handle said the system failure at the grid happened at 1:33 pm.
“We wish to inform you that a system disturbance occurred on the national grid at 1:33 pm today causing power outage across our franchise areas.
“While gradual restoration of power supply has commenced, be assured that we are coordinating closely with relevant stakeholders to restore power fully as soon as the grid is stabilized,” AEDC said.
The head of corporate communications, Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Friday Adakole, on Facebook, also confirmed the incident, adding that the current outage affected all feeders.
“The current outage being experienced within our franchise states is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid.
“The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred this afternoon at about 13:33 hours of today, Wednesday, 11th December 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.
“We hope to restore normal power supply to our esteemed customers as soon as the grid supply is restored to normalcy,” Adakole said.
We’ll add 150mw to power grid by year-end – Adelabu
Meanwhile, in a bid to boost power supply, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured that an additional 150 megawatts will be added to the national grid before the end of 2024.
Adelabu gave the assurance while speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He outlined the progress made under the Siemens-led Presidential Power Initiative, attributing the upcoming boost in power capacity to the near completion of the initiative’s pilot phase.
According to him, “We have completed about 80% of the pilot stage, which includes the importation, installation, and commissioning of 10 power transformers and 10 power mobile substations.
“These efforts have already added 750 megawatts to our grid capacity, and by year-end, an additional 150 megawatts will be realized upon full completion of the pilot phase.”
The Minister acknowledged the aging and fragile state of Nigeria’s power grid, emphasizing the necessity of the Siemens project to ensure long-term stability.
The next phase, he noted, involves rehabilitating 14 existing substations and establishing 23 new substations across the country.
“We are transitioning to Phase One of the project, with the first batch of this phase already concluded in terms of commercial agreements,” he said.
Approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement is expected soon, after which the Federal Executive Council will finalize the financing arrangements.
Adelabu expressed optimism about the initiative’s transformative impact, stating, “When Phase One is complete, Nigeria’s power grid will not remain the same. This project will redefine grid stability and efficiency across the country.”
In addition to grid enhancements, Nigeria is strengthening its partnership with Germany to expand renewable energy sources.
Adelabu highlighted the country’s potential in solar, wind, and hydropower.
“Germany has the technology, and we have the natural resources,” he said, citing over 30 Nigerian states with at least 10 hours of daily sunshine and abundant wind potential in both northern desert areas and southern coastal regions.
Adelabu also noted the underutilization of Nigeria’s 300 dams for hydropower, which could be unlocked through new infrastructure developments, including the Badagry-Sokoto road.
The minister stressed the importance of off-grid power systems to ensure energy access for rural and underserved communities.
“Each of our 36 states and the FCT will have their own embedded generation plants, creating a distributed power model that shields them from national grid challenges,” Adelabu explained.
While no new agreements were signed during the meeting with President Steinmeier, Adelabu emphasized a shared commitment to accelerating existing projects.
“The focus is on expediting the implementation of our current agreements to achieve expanded energy access and grid stability for Nigerians,” he stated.
