The national grid in Nigeria has been fully restored after experiencing a partial collapse caused by a fire incident at the Afam Power Generating Station, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, announced the successful restoration, stating, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria announces the full restoration of the national grid following a fire incident at the Afam Power Generating Station, which caused a partial disturbance of the nation’s grid.”

Mbah explained that the fire started early Monday morning at the Afam V 330kV bus bar coupler, leading to the tripping of units at Afam III and Afam VI. This resulted in a sudden loss of generation capacity, destabilizing the grid and causing the partial collapse.

During the incident, the Ibom Power Plant was isolated from the grid but was able to supply parts of the Port Harcourt region, mitigating the impact of the disruption.

TCN confirmed that the affected section of the grid has now been fully restored and stabilized.

Meanwhile, the partial collapse of the national grid has raised concerns among Nigerians, with some attributing the frequent incidents to vandalism and other complex issues.

Energy expert Idowu Oyebanjo commented on the matter, stating, “Power grid collapse occurs for too many reasons and these are very complex issues including vandalism that you have talked about.

It is very important to state because if a power tower is vandalized, the electric overhead lines come down and then power is disrupted.”

Oyebanjo emphasized the need for more decentralization of the power sector as a solution to address the challenges leading to grid collapses.