January 27, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has announced the full restoration of the national grid following a “voltage disturbance” that caused widespread power outages earlier on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
According to a statement from NISO, the disturbance occurred at approximately 10:48 a.m. and originated from the Gombe Transmission Substation.
The fluctuation rapidly spread through the network, affecting critical substations in Jebba, Kainji, and Ayede.
This triggered the automatic tripping of several transmission lines and generating units, which the operator characterized as a partial system disturbance rather than a total collapse.
Reports from various distribution companies (DisCos) and grid monitoring data showed that power generation plummeted from a morning peak of over 4,700 MW to nearly 0 MW during the height of the incident.
This was the second major grid event in less than a week, following a similar disturbance on Friday, January 23.
NISO confirmed that restoration efforts began swiftly at 11:11 a.m. through coordinated control room interventions. By Tuesday evening, the agency stated that electricity supply had returned to normal across all affected regions.
The operator urged the public to disregard reports of a “total collapse,” emphasizing that its automated protection mechanisms prevented a more severe system failure.
The frequent disturbances in early 2026 have renewed calls for the modernization of Nigeria’s aging transmission infrastructure.
The Minister of Power recently noted that many key components of the grid, including some substations, are over 40 years old and require urgent upgrades to handle current generation capacities.
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