Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours following prolonged power outages affecting parts of the country.
Tegbe gave the assurance in a statement titled “Update on Power Situation,” where he acknowledged the difficulties households and businesses have experienced due to the disruption in electricity supply across four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The minister attributed the power outages to maintenance work at the Egbin Power Station in Lagos, inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants and damage to electricity transmission lines.
According to him, maintenance activities at the Egbin Power Station, which contributes approximately 16 per cent of electricity supplied to the national grid, have significantly affected power generation.
He explained that the situation was further worsened by gas shortages at some thermal power stations, forcing electricity operators to introduce load shedding to manage the limited power available.
Tegbe also identified the sabotage of transmission lines as another major challenge, noting that the damaged infrastructure had restricted alternative routes for electricity distribution, particularly in Lagos.
The minister said the Federal Government was working with relevant operators to restore electricity generation and transmission as quickly as possible.
“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,” he said.
He added that efforts were also underway to improve gas supply to power stations and speed up repairs to damaged transmission infrastructure.
The minister’s assurance comes amid growing complaints from electricity consumers in Lagos, Ogun and other parts of the country over prolonged power interruptions.
The situation has also triggered a disagreement between the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ikeja Electric over the causes of the recent electricity outages.
On Friday, TCN dismissed claims by Ikeja Electric that grid instability was responsible for the power interruptions recorded on November 3 and 4.
Instead, the transmission company blamed the situation on insufficient gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced electricity generation from hydroelectric facilities.
TCN maintained that its responsibility was to transmit only the electricity generated and made available to the national grid by power generation companies.
Earlier, Ikeja Electric had apologised to customers on some Band A feeders after failing to meet the required minimum of 20 hours of electricity supply daily.
The electricity distribution company had faced criticism from customers affected by the prolonged outages.
Tegbe assured Nigerians that the government would continue engaging relevant stakeholders in the power sector to address the challenges, restore stable electricity supply and provide updates on developments.
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