*Students studying under candle light as a result of a power outage.
Oscarline Onwuemenyi
18 May 2016, Sweetcrude, Abuja – There is looming nationwide darkness as the available power supply to the national grid dropped to a mere 1,400 megawatts (MW) yesterday.
According to information released by the management of the System Operation/Market Operation (SO/MO) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), to our correspondent in Abuja, electricity generation into the national grid dropped to 1,400MW yesterday, 17th May 2016.
A source within the TCN noted that available power to the grid has remained on a downward trend, adding that as at 12 midnight on Tuesday, available power to the grid was 2,730MW, but has further dropped to 1,400MW as at the time of filing this report.
According to the source, “Sometimes within a-24 hour period, a full system collapse would occur, with the country thrown into a total blackout, before the grid would restart. This has been a common occurrence, but people do not notice.”
The Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, System Operation/ Market Operation, Clement Ezeolisah, explained yesterday that the downward trend of electricity generation is due to constraints in the thermal power stations which have prevented the generators from producing at optimal levels.
“However, it is noteworthy to report that all stakeholders are working assiduously to achieve improvements in the power supply deliverables. The attendant inconvenience as a result of low power generation is regretted,” Ezeolisah said in a statement.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), which supplies power to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kogi, Niger and Nassarawa States, received load allocation of 161MW yesterday after the total generation fell to 1,400MW.
Similarly, the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) stated that it was allocated less than 150MW yesterday for supply to Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states.
Explaining the poor load allocation in its franchise area, particularly, to Sokoto state, Kaduna Electric noted that the power supply situation in Sokoto and its environ is as a result of the low allocation from the national grid which is not within its purview.
