On Sunday, April 14, the Nigeria’s national grid once again collapsed, leaving homes and businesses without power supply for several hours.
This is the second time the grid has collapsed in less than one month.
According to one Mr Victor, a resident of Akoka, Lagos State, “the grid collapses every Eke Market day”.
This funny, yet painful reaction sparked laughter in the compound where he lives. But in their laughter, one could feel the pain floating deep down.
The latest collapse came barely a week after the controversial review of Band A power consumers tariffs by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Frequent Collapse
The last collapse occurred on Thursday, March 28, 2024, for the second time in less than one month.
Data supplied by the National System Operator, a semi-autonomous unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), showed that the grid collapsed around 3:00 a.m.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said the grid had been restored.
However, there is one question Mr. Victor has still not gotten an answer to.
Why does Nigeria’s national grid collapse on every eke market day?
Well, there are so many reasons for this. Although the TCN has always given one excuse or the other, here are other factors that could be contributing to the frequent collapse:
1. Over Population
The number of persons that are getting power from the very little amount generated is huge and that is over-powering the system every now and then.
In common locations, you could see several household or community relying on just one transformer to provide them light. The same happens when it comes to distribution at national level.
2. Poor Maintenance Culture
Nigerians lack good maintenance culture, and this shows up in almost all sectors.
Maintaining as consistent as possible is one way to ensure early detection of issues.
3. Cost Of Gas
The TCN also cited the cost of gas as one of the reasons for the increase in tariffs. This may also have an effect on the grid.
Could it be that they are now managing gas?
Yes, we are tempted to ask, because this is the first time we are experiencing such frequent collapse in Nigeria.
4. Low Water Level
Some electricity generation is done from dams and there is low rainfall at the moment. This may have also affected the amount of power generated.
The rain is not here yet even as April progresses towards its end.
5. New Tariff
The recent increase in tariff now requires that there is a rejig, with the movement of some more person to a different grid.
To increase, revenue, there is a tendency that there will be movement of some consumers to a higher paying grid.
In the course of doing so, there may be some form of overload, resulting in collapse.
6. Heat
On several occasions, the commission has blamed the collapse on fire.
What do you think causes this fire?
Also Read: National Grid Collapse Throws Nigerians Into Darkness As TCN Blames Fire
Well, we think it could be the Heat. lately, the heat has been excruciating and the power plants are also not left out.
If the cooling system is not so effective, there could be fire incident.
