KEY POINTS
- NISO traced Tuesday’s grid disturbance to a voltage fluctuation at the Gombe Transmission Substation, describing it as a partial, not total, system collapse.
- The disturbance spread to Jebba, Kainji and Ayede substations, causing transmission lines and generating units to trip.
- Power was fully restored within hours, but the incident marks the second grid disturbance in 2026 amid persistent reliability challenges.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, has traced Tuesday’s national grid disturbance to a voltage fluctuation at the Gombe Transmission Substation, clarifying that the incident did not amount to a total system collapse as widely reported in some quarters.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the system operator explained that the disturbance on the grid originated in Gombe before cascading to other parts of the transmission network, causing temporary disruptions in electricity supply across several regions.
Incident Classified as Partial System Collapse
NISO stated that the event on the grid was accompanied by the tripping of some transmission lines and generating units, which led to what it described as a partial system collapse.
“The incident only affected part of the national grid; therefore, it was not a total collapse,” the operator said. He said the disturbance quickly propagated from Gombe to other major transmission substations, including Jebba and Kainji, while the Ayede Transmission Substation also experienced disruptions.
The ripple effect across these facilities compounded the instability on the grid before stabilisation measures were implemented.
NISO disclosed that its technical teams immediately commenced corrective actions to stabilise the system and restore normal operations.
“The national grid has been fully restored, and electricity supply across the affected areas has since returned to normal,” the statement said.
