Another national grid collapse leaves Nigerians without power
Nigerians faced widespread power outages after the national grid collapsed, marking the first such incident in 2026. According to the Nigerian Independent System Operator, the outage was caused by faults on the high-voltage transmission lines. Electricity generation dropped drastically, and all 23 power plants on the grid lost output. Restoration efforts began soon after, but many regions remained affected as of the latest updates.
What we know
- The national power grid collapsed on Friday, 23 January, 2026, causing a nationwide blackout.
- Electricity generation fell from over 4,500 megawatts to just 24MW as of 1pm, with all 23 power plants losing output.
- The Nigerian Independent System Operator reported the outage occurred at about 12:40pm due to simultaneous tripping of several 330kV transmission lines.
- Restoration activities started around 1:15pm, with supply restored to cities like Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro, and parts of Lagos.
- Adetayo Adegbemle of PowerUp Nigeria urged the Federal Government to reintegrate large consumers into the grid to improve stability and reduce costs for residential users.
