The cause of Wednesday’s national grid collapse, which left Nigeria in darkness, remains unclear.
Generation companies have blamed the outage on a halt in gas supply, pointing to over ₦2 trillion in unpaid debts. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has refuted claims that it instructed gas suppliers to cut off Generation Companies (GenCos) due to the debt.
In a Wednesday statement to DAILY POST, NMDPRA dismissed the allegations, urging the public to disregard reports linking it to the power outage.
The blackout, which occurred around 1:36 PM, marked the 12th grid collapse in 2024. The Jos Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the timing of the incident, while reports earlier in the day speculated that NMDPRA had directed gas suppliers to suspend supplies to GenCos over unpaid obligations.
NMDPRA clarified that its recent discussions with stakeholders were unrelated to the outage. The agency explained that its engagements focused on educating stakeholders about opportunities under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, including the wholesale supply license provisions.
Separately, Dr. Joy Ogaji, the CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, disclosed that gas suppliers had officially ceased supplying GenCos, which rely heavily on gas-fired power plants. She identified this as the primary reason for the blackout, with 70% of Nigeria’s power dependent on thermal plants.
“The debt burden has exceeded ₦2.7 trillion, and with gas accounting for 70% of thermal GenCos’ invoices, the supply suspension has severely affected power production,” Ogaji stated.
Efforts to address the outage are underway, with reports of power being restored to parts of Abuja by Wednesday night. However, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has yet to issue a statement on the incident.