Power supply set to improve within 72 hours – Minister

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said electricity supply is expected to improve within 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government moves to resolve generation and transmission challenges responsible for recent outages across the country.

Tegbe attributed the worsening power situation to scheduled maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, described as Nigeria’s largest thermal power plant, which contributes about 16 per cent of electricity supplied to the national grid.

The minister disclosed this in a statement titled “Update on Power Situation,” shared on his Facebook page on Friday.

“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.

“Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations have reduced the amount of electricity available on the national grid. Grid operators have, therefore, implemented load shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall,” he said.

Tegbe added that the sabotage of critical transmission lines had restricted the use of alternative routes to supply electricity to some locations, particularly Lagos.

He said his ministry was working with relevant operators to restore affected generating units in phases, improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure.

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.

“We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure,” he added.

The minister’s assurance comes amid growing complaints from electricity consumers in Lagos and Ogun states over prolonged blackouts, which residents say have made the prevailing hot weather increasingly unbearable.