Prolonged Blackouts As National Grid Collapses For 3rd Time In 2025

The national electricity grid suffered its third collapse in 2025 on Wednesday, causing widespread power outages across the country.

According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the grid failure occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m., when a Generation Company (GenCo) tripped, triggering a cascade of failures among other GenCos and total system collapse.

This latest collapse marked the third major failure of Nigeria’s national grid in 2025, highlighting persistent challenges in grid stability. Previous incidents include: February 12, 2025. The first collapse of the year occurred at 11:34 a.m., causing widespread outages affecting distribution companies like Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) and Abuja Electric (AEDC).

This followed a pattern of frequent collapses in 2024, with causes linked to outdated infrastructure and operational challenges.

On March 7, 2025 (approximately), a major grid collapse occurred around 2:00 p.m., causing power to plummet from around 4000MW to below 1000MW, leading to significant blackouts in Lagos and other regions.

On September 10, 2025, the national grid collapsed again in the late morning, from 11:20 to 11:30 a.m., leading to widespread power outages reported by AEDC, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, and others.

Data from NISO showed that power generation plunged sharply from 2,917.83 megawatts (MW) at 11:00 a.m. to just 1.5 MW by 12:00 p.m., severely disrupting the electricity supply.

Load allocation reports released at 1:10 p.m. showed that only four distribution companies (DisCos) were receiving power: Abuja Disco (20 MW), Benin DisCo (10 MW), Enugu DisCo (40 MW), and Ibadan DisCo (50 MW), totalling just 120 MW nationwide.

According to the NISO management, the disruption was caused by the tripping of a Generation Company (GenCo), which led to a significant load drop. This initial failure subsequently cascaded to other GenCos, causing a widespread system disturbance and the collapse of the national grid.

NISO confirmed that restoration efforts began promptly at 11:45 a.m., starting with the supply to Abuja from the Shiroro power plant.

Since then, substantial progress has been made in restoring the electricity supply across the country.

The operator appealed for public patience during this process.

“An in-depth investigation into the immediate and root causes of the disturbance has been launched. The findings will guide the development of remedial and preventive measures to forestall future grid collapses,” it said.

NISO management reiterated its commitment to resolving the disruption and maintaining grid stability.

LEADERSHIP checks showed that as 7.44 pm on Wednesday, load allocation to the various DisCos had risen to 1,583MW, broken down as follows: Abuja DisCo, 243.00MW; Benin DisCo, 129.00MW; Eko DisCo, 204.00MW; Enugu DisCo, 123.00MW; Ibadan DisCo, 190.00MW; Ikeja DisCo, 239.00MW; Jos DisCo, 89.00MW; Kaduna DisCo, 102.00MW; Kano DisCo, 106.00MW; PHarcourt DisCo, 112.00MW, and Yola DisCo, 46.00MW

Earlier, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), had, a notice to its customers, said the loss of electricity in its franchise area was due to a loss of supply from the grid at about 11:23 am.

“Rest assured, we are working closely with the relevant stakeholders to ensure power is restored once the grid is stabilised. Thank you for your patience and understanding,” the statement said.