National grid collapses — second time in five days
Nigeria experienced a nationwide power outage on Tuesday morning following the collapse of the national electricity grid.
Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies (DisCos) dropped to zero megawatts (MW) at about 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Power generation at the time also declined sharply to 39MW.
This incident marks the second grid collapse recorded in 2026, following a similar failure on January 23.
In a statement, NISO attributed the outage to a system-wide disturbance caused by the tripping of multiple 330 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, as well as the disconnection of several power-generating units.
“Preliminary operational reports indicate that the disturbance was associated with the simultaneous tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units,” the operator said. “These events collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated.”
Nigeria’s power grid has remained unstable in recent years. In 2025 alone, the grid collapsed several times, with the last incident recorded on December 29.
