Just as Nigerians are currently riddled by the pains of endless fuel scarcity, since Tuesday night, Nigeria’s power transmission grid collapsed leading to the current blackout being experienced in parts of the country.
The Minister of Power, Housing and Works, Barr. Babatunde Fashola is yet to address Nigerians as people kept asking what is happening.
Business Hilights gathered that the collapse was due to a fire incident on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System of the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Limited.
Unfortunately the inferno caused the shutdown of the pipeline that supplies gas to six thermal power plants, which prompted the collapse of the country’s electricity grid at 10:20pm on Tuesday.
Though a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing around 12:44am on Wednesday, gave a hint, it failed to give details of palliatives at a time fule crisis is still rocking the nation.
However, the ministry said it was regrettable that after a sustained period of increasing production and distribution of power since September 2017 to date, the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Ltd reported a fire incident on its Escravos Lagos Pipeline System near Okada, Edo State on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
The statement read in parts: “The incident requires a shutdown of the pipeline supplying gas to Egbin 1,320megawatts; Olorunsogo NIPP 676MW; Olorunsogo 338MW; Omotosho NIPP 450MW; Omotosho 338 MW; and Paras 60MW power stations.
“The sudden loss of generation due to interruption in gas supply from these stations caused the national transmission grid to trip off around 20:20 on 2nd January 2018. The national transmission grid is owned and operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.”
