The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has blamed the recent national grid collapse on a voltage disturbance originating from the Gombe Transmission Substation.
The grid collapsed Tuesday morning, plunging Africa’s most populous nation into darkness for the second time in 2026 and reviving questions about the country’s chronically unstable power infrastructure.
Read also: Nigeria records second grid collapse in four days
This development marks the second time Nigeria would be plunged into darkness in the new year, after recording its first grid collapse on January 23.
NISO in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday, explained that 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 stabilize the system and restore normal operations. Restoration, which began at about 11:11am has since been completed.
Read also: How incessant grid collapse frustrates Nigerian businesses
“The incident only affected part of the grid therefore not a total collapse as reported by some media organizations. Additional information can be obtained from our website: www.niso.org.ng.
The national grid has been fully restored and electricity supply across the affected areas has since returned to normal,” it stated.
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