Nigeria loses 23% of its power generation in 24 hours
Power generation in Nigeria dropped by over 23 percent in 24 hours to 3,704.26 megawatts as of 6am on Saturday, official data show.
The generation level fell by 1,128.16MW from 4,833.42MW as of 6am on Friday, according to data obtained by Markets Reporters from the Nigerian Electricity System Operator.
The decline in generation has worsened blackouts in parts of the country, a couple of days before the end of the eight-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari had, in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, promised to tackle the major economic problems, including poor power supply, plaguing Africa’s biggest economy.
“No single cause can be identified to explain Nigeria’s poor economic performance over the years other than the power situation. It is a national shame that an economy of 180 million generates only 4,000MW, and distributes even less,” he said at the time. “Continuous tinkering with the structures of power supply and distribution and close on $20 billion expended since 1999 have only brought darkness, frustration, misery, and resignation among Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on. Careful studies are underway during this transition to identify the quickest, safest and most cost-effective way to bring light and relief to Nigerians.”
The country has a grid generation installed capacity of 13,014.14MW, generation capacity of 7,652.6MW, and transmission wheeling capacity of 8,100MW but actual generation usually hovers between 4,000MW and 4,600MW.
