The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has attributed the ongoing load shedding across the country to a significant reduction in power generation.
NISO, in a statement on Thursday revealed that Egbin Power Station, which is the largest electricity generating plant on the national grid and a major contributor to daily power supply in Nigeria, experienced a major operational disturbance.
It said at about 8:21pm on April 28, 2026, the power station recorded a complete loss of generation, dropping from approximately 641MW to zero output.
NISO said the incident was attributed to a failure of the plant’s central compressor, alongside a malfunction of the circulating water pump system, which necessitated an emergency shutdown of all units.
In addition, it said, power supply to the Lagos region is currently restricted due to the forced outage of the Osogbo–Ikeja West 330kV line, further constraining the delivery of available generation into the Lagos load centre.
Consequently, it noted, that the loss of generation has created a significant supply shortfall, necessitating immediate load shedding measures to maintain grid stability and prevent a wider system disturbance.
The System Operator said it has since activated contingency measures, adjusted load allocation across distribution companies with priority to critical infrastructure and is optimizing available generation from other power plants to mitigate the impact.
“We acknowledge the inconvenience this situation has caused electricity consumers, especially within Lagos and surrounding areas, and we assure the public that all relevant stakeholders are working closely to resolve the situation as soon as possible,” NISO said in the statement.
