Tegbe Promises Power Supply Relief in 48 to 72 Hours as FG Tackles Grid Constraints

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has said electricity supply should improve within 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government works to resolve generation and transmission constraints behind recent outages across parts of Nigeria.

Tegbe said planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, which he described as Nigeria’s largest thermal power station and a facility responsible for about 16% of electricity supplied to the national grid, had cut available supply. Gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power stations also reduced output, forcing grid operators to implement load shedding in some areas.

Egbin maintenance and gas constraints

In a Saturday statement, Tegbe said the outages had placed strain on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

“I am aware of the strain that the current outages have placed on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations have reduced the amount of electricity available on the national grid. Grid operators have, therefore, implemented load shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall,” he said.

Tegbe also identified sabotage of critical transmission lines as another challenge. He said the damage had restricted the use of alternative routes to supply electricity to some locations, particularly Lagos.

He said the ministry was working with relevant operators to restore affected generating units in phases, improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure.

“My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours. We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure,” he added.

TCN and Ikeja Electric dispute

The supply crisis has triggered a disagreement between the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ikeja Electric over the causes of recent interruptions. TCN accused Ikeja Electric of misleading customers by attributing outages recorded on November 3 and 4 to grid instability.

TCN said inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced hydroelectric generation were responsible for the decline in electricity available for distribution. “TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” the company said.

TCN said the Nigerian Independent System Operator had not identified a failure of its transmission network as the cause of the interruptions. It said 68% of interruptions recorded on feeders supplying Ikeja Electric resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation. Another 26% came from Ikeja Electric’s alleged failure to comply with load allocations, as well as faults and maintenance on its distribution network. The remaining 6% resulted from TCN’s planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.

The dispute followed Ikeja Electric’s apology to customers on some Band A feeders after it failed to meet the minimum daily electricity supply requirement of 20 hours on November 3 and 4.

What it means for consumers

Consumers in Lagos and Ogun states have complained about prolonged blackouts, which residents say have made the hot weather harder to endure. The Federal Government said it was engaging TCN, NISO and electricity distribution companies to address the constraints and restore normal supply.

For households and businesses in Lagos and the FCT, the 48 to 72 hour timeline is the immediate test. A faster return of generating units would ease load shedding and cut the cost pressure from backup power. A delay would keep the strain on homes and commercial operations in two key economic centres.