In a statement posted on Friday, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the country’s electricity supply is expected to improve within 48 to 72 hours as the federal government tackles generation and transmission problems that have caused widespread outages.
Minister Tegbe blamed the worsening power situation on planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Station in Lagos, the country’s largest thermal plant, which supplies about 16 percent of the national grid. He added that constraints in gas supply to other thermal stations have further reduced the amount of electricity available.
He also cited sabotage of critical transmission lines, which has limited the use of alternative routes to deliver power, especially to Lagos. The sabotage has forced grid operators to implement load‑shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall.
“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,” Tegbe said. “We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure.”
Consumers in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory have complained that prolonged blackouts have made the hot weather increasingly unbearable. The minister’s assurance comes as the government seeks to restore reliable power to households and businesses across the four affected states.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
