NISO Clarifies Recent Electricity Generation Shortfalls

By Sherif Salau

Homes and businesses across Lagos have faced longer blackouts and deeper load-shedding in recent days, with neighbourhoods served by Eko Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electric experiencing extended periods without grid supply.

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has clarified that the disruptions were not caused by any shortfall in power generation. Instead, successive outages on critical transmission lines sharply reduced the volume of electricity that could be safely delivered into the Lagos axis.

In a statement titled “Clarification on Recent Changes in Power Allocations Following Transmission Line Outages,” NISO identified the key faults: successive outages on the Olorunsogo–Ayede 330kV Line 1, the Benin–Egbin 330kV Line 1 and the Benin–Omotosho 330kV Line 1, combined with the prolonged outage of the Osogbo–Ikeja West circuit.

“The cumulative loss of these critical circuits reduced the transmission transfer capability into the Lagos axis,” the operator said. As a result, allocations to Eko DisCo, Ikeja Electric and the Sakete international supply were reviewed and curtailed to keep the remaining network within secure operating limits and prevent a wider system disturbance.

NISO stressed that generation itself was not the limiting factor. Power stations continued to produce electricity, but the outaged lines could not transfer it in the volumes previously allocated. Where transmission constraints blocked safe delivery, the system operator redispatched generation, curtailed load or revised DisCo allocations standard measures taken to protect overall grid stability.

Lagos is particularly exposed to such constraints. Its dense commercial districts, industrial corridors and high concentration of Band A feeders rely on consistent bulk supply. When transmission capacity falls, the impact is felt quickly across homes, factories and offices. Both distribution companies have adjusted supply schedules, including on some higher-service feeders, while working with transmission partners to restore fuller allocations.

The operator’s clarification draws a clear distinction: the recent reductions resulted from physical limits on the grid outaged lines and reduced transfer capacity rather than any shortage of available generation. No firm timeline has been given for the full restoration of the affected circuits.

Until transfer capacity recovers, Lagos will continue to receive less power than the system is capable of generating. On this occasion, NISO said, the bottleneck was the transmission network, not the power stations.