Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered its first collapse of 2026 on Friday after power generation plunged to zero megawatts (MW), according to data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).
Figures from the system operator show that electricity supply across the country was completely disrupted, with load allocation to all 11 electricity distribution companies dropping to zero by about 1 p.m.
The affected distribution companies include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Yola, all of which recorded zero power allocation during the outage.
The latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of grid failures. In 2025, Nigeria experienced multiple collapses of the national grid, with the most recent occurring on December 29, despite ongoing efforts to strengthen transmission infrastructure and boost system capacity.
In response to concerns over supply stability, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) had earlier announced that it restored an additional 450 MW to the grid after completing maintenance work at the Geregu National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) plant.
Separately, NISO disclosed that on November 9, 2025, it collaborated with the West African Power Pool Information and Coordination Centre (WAPP-ICC) to conduct a synchronisation test linking Nigeria’s grid with the broader West African power network, part of efforts to enhance regional grid stability.
