Nigeria’s grid electricity supply plunged by 81.5 per cent to 675 megawatts (MW at 1pm on Monday, October 19, 2026, from 3,647MW recorded at noon, following disruptions that affected power generation and transmission.

The incident prompted electricity distribution companies, including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electric, to notify customers of supply constraints linked to challenges on the national grid.

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Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that 21 power plants were supplying electricity to the grid before the disruption.

However, the number of plants supplying the grid reportedly fell sharply during the incident, while available generation dropped by 2,972MW within an hour.

The plants reported to have gone offline included Azura, Egbin, Jebba and Kainji.

Electricity supply had been higher earlier in the day, reaching 4,331MW at 1am and 4,458MW at 6am. Generation subsequently declined to 3,647MW by noon before plunging to 675MW at 1pm.

Supply later recovered to 2,150MW by 5pm, an increase of 1,475MW from the 1pm level. However, the recovered supply remained below the morning peak.

In a public notice issued on Monday, AEDC informed customers that electricity supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria had been interrupted because of a grid-related challenge.

The company said TCN’s technical team was working to restore grid stability and that electricity supply was gradually returning to its feeders.

“We assure you that efforts are ongoing to restore full supply across our franchise area as soon as the situation permits,” AEDC said, while apologising to customers for the inconvenience.

Ikeja Electric also attributed reduced supply across its network to a shortfall in the volume of electricity allocated to it from the national grid.

The company said it was engaging relevant stakeholders to improve the available supply and would distribute the electricity received as efficiently and equitably as possible.

In a statement on Monday, NISO said it had stabilised the national grid following multiple trippings on the 330-kilovolt transmission network.

The operator said the incident occurred at approximately 12:40pm on October 19, 2026, prompting it to implement corrective measures in collaboration with TCN.

According to NISO, restoration efforts were completed successfully and the national grid returned to normal operation.

The system operator also clarified that the incident affected only a section of the grid, disputing unverified reports suggesting a wider disruption.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of electricity supply to transmission network disturbances and the effects such disruptions can have on households and businesses.

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Although NISO reported that the grid had stabilised, the available generation figures showed that supply had not yet returned to its earlier morning levels by 5pm.