Power supply to improve in 72 hours, Minister Tegbe assures Nigerians

Power Minister Joseph Tegbe has said electricity supply will begin to improve within 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government tackles generation and transmission constraints. He blamed planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas shortages and sabotaged transmission lines for outages in four states, including Lagos and the FCT. Meanwhile, TCN disputed Ikeja Electric’s explanation for recent blackouts, insisting low generation, not transmission failure, was responsible for the supply interruptions.

Electricity supply will begin to improve within 48 to 72 hours, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has said, as the Federal Government works to address generation and transmission constraints behind recent outages, Punch reports.

Tegbe attributed the situation to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, which supplies about 16 per cent of electricity on the national grid. He made the disclosure in a Friday statement, ‘Update on Power Situation’, on his Facebook page.

“I am aware of the strain that the current outages have placed on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

He added that gas supply constraints and sabotaged transmission lines had worsened the shortfall, forcing load shedding. “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.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria faulted Ikeja Electric’s attribution of outages on November 3 and 4 to grid instability, insisting that low gas supply and reduced hydro generation were responsible. “TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” it said.