the Nigerian Independent System Operator has says a prolonged blackout may be imminent in Lagos State following the sudden shutdown of the Egbin Power Station and a simultaneous transmission line outage.
The system operator disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the Egbin Power Station suffered a major operational disturbance, resulting in a complete loss of generation and worsening electricity supply constraints in Nigeria’s commercial hub.
According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 8:21 p.m. on April 28, when the plant’s output dropped sharply from about 641 megawatts to zero.
It attributed the shutdown to critical equipment failure within the plant.
It added that Egbin Power Station, Nigeria’s largest electricity-generating plant on the national grid, experienced a major operational disturbance caused by the failure of its central compressor and a malfunction of the circulating water pump system, necessitating an immediate shutdown of all generating units.
The situation was further worsened by a separate transmission fault.
“Power supply to the Lagos region is currently further restricted due to the forced outage of the Osogbo–Ikeja West 330kV transmission line, thereby limiting the evacuation of available generation into the Lagos load centre,” the operator said.
The dual disruption has created a significant supply gap, forcing authorities to implement emergency measures aimed at managing the grid and preventing a wider system collapse.
There are also unconfirmed reports linking the incident to the death of a contractor, although officials have not provided details or confirmed the cause.
The Egbin Power Station, located in Ikorodu, Lagos, is the largest thermal power plant on Nigeria’s national grid, with an installed capacity of over 1,300 megawatts.
However, actual output fluctuates due to gas supply constraints, maintenance, and grid issues.
Its strategic role means any major outage typically has immediate and widespread effects on electricity supply, particularly in Lagos, which accounts for a significant share of national demand.
The Osogbo–Ikeja West 330kV transmission line is also a key infrastructure corridor for power delivery into Lagos, connecting generation sources across the country to the state’s distribution network.
