NISO Explains Cause Of Grid Collapse, Probes Incident

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), has advanced reasons why the nation witnessed the first national grid disturbance in 2026, adding that it has commenced full scale investigation into the incident.

It confirmed that at approximately 12:40 hours on Friday, 23 January, 2026, the national grid experienced a system-wide disturbance, which resulted in a total outage across the interconnected network.

However, NISO explained that the preliminary operational reports indicated that the disturbance was associated with the “simultaneous tripping of multiple 330kV transmission lines, alongside the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units.

“These events collectively contributed to the system collapse at the time indicated.

“Following the outage, system restoration activities commenced at about 13:15 hours, in accordance with established grid restoration and recovery procedures.

” As of the time of this update, electricity supply has been successfully restored to Abuja, Osogbo, Benin, Onitsha, Sakete, Jebba, Kainji, Shiroro, and parts of Lagos, while restoration efforts are continuing progressively in other parts of the country.”

A statement by the NISO management assured that a detailed investigation into the root and contributory causes of the disturbance is currently ongoing.

Further, it said the full restoration and stabilization of the grid remains a top operational priority.