Concerns are rising that incessant grid collapse cases may be returning to Nigeria’s power sector, as Nigerians experienced three incidents in less than a month.

Electricity distribution companies blamed low power generation for the disruptions, though they did not agree that the sector is reverting to the era of frequent grid failures.

The national power grid collapsed again on Tuesday, the second time in four days. This marks the second grid collapse in January 2026 and the third in less than a month. The grid previously collapsed on December 29, 2025, and on Friday, January 23, 2026, before the latest incident on Thursday.

Recall that the grid collapsed almost monthly in 2024, but the situation improved in 2025 when only two major collapses were recorded. However, experiencing two incidents in four days—and three in less than a month—signals a worrying trend to stakeholders in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.

The PUNCH reports that power generation dropped to just 39 megawatts at 11 am on Tuesday, down from 3,825 MW at 10 am. Our correspondent noted that generation peaked at 4,762 MW as of 6 am on Tuesday. During the collapse, load allocation to the DisCos was 0.00 MW, indicating that no company was supplying electricity at the time.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company said, “Dear valued customers, we regret to inform you that there is currently a loss of power supply across our franchise area.

“We do not have a view of when we will be restored to the grid; however, our technical teams are working closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the prompt restoration. We will update you as soon as we have more information. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to serve you better.”

The Port Harcourt DisCo also appealed to customers: “Dear esteemed customer, kindly be informed that the outage currently experienced in all our franchise areas is due to grid collapse. We appeal to our esteemed customers to exercise patience as the relevant team is working tirelessly to restore the power supply as soon as possible. All inconveniences are regretted.”

Speaking with our correspondent, DisCos spokesman, Sunday Oduntan, acknowledged concerns about ongoing grid collapses in 2026 but disagreed that the sector is returning to constant failures. He said NISO and other stakeholders are working hard to stabilise the grid. However, he noted that low power generation remains a major challenge.

“We are not going back to the days of incessant grid collapses; lessons are being learnt. Look at the speed at which they fixed the recent incidents and compare that to those of 2024. It was faster; that tells you that something underneath is working. NISO, which is managing the grid, has upped its game.

“However, what we are generating is not enough; that is the bane of our challenge. It is the major cause. Where should the grid be collapsing in 2026? We need to address this major crisis once and for all,” Oduntan said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Independent System Operator said the national electricity grid experienced a voltage disturbance originating from the Gombe Transmission Substation on Tuesday. The event affected only part of the grid and did not result in a total collapse.

In a statement titled ‘Update on Partial System Disturbance on the National Grid’, NISO said the incident occurred at approximately 10:48 am, rapidly propagating across the network and impacting the Jebba, Kainji, and Ayede Transmission Substations. It noted that the disturbance caused the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in what it described as a partial system collapse.

“The Nigerian Independent System Operator wishes to state that at approximately 10:48 hours on January 27, 2026, the national grid experienced a voltage disturbance which originated from the Gombe Transmission Substation. The voltage disturbance rapidly propagated across the network, affecting Jebba, Kainji, and subsequently Ayede Transmission Substations.

“The event was accompanied by the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, resulting in a partial system collapse. Appropriate corrective actions were immediately implemented to stabilise the system and restore normal operations. Restoration, which began at about 11:11 am, has since been completed,” it said.

NISO added that “the national grid has been fully restored and electricity supply across the affected areas has since returned to normal.”

The incident comes amid ongoing discussions in the power sector on grid stability, investment in transmission infrastructure, and rapid response mechanisms to minimise service interruptions in a country where millions of households and businesses rely on a stable electricity supply. (PUNCH)

Update news