The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has refuted media reports alleging that a system collapse occurred on the Nigerian National Grid on Thursday, February 19, 2026, describing the incident as a localized transmission line trip that did not affect the overall stability of the grid.
In a press release issued on February 22, NISO said its attention was drawn to a report by Punch Newspaper claiming that a system collapse at about 11:54 a.m. resulted in a total blackout across the South-East region.
The system operator categorically denied the claim, stating that no system collapse occurred on the said date and time.
According to NISO, at approximately 11:47 a.m., a protection trip was recorded on some 330kV transmission lines around the Onitsha Transmission Station. The tripping led to a temporary and localized outage affecting certain areas supplied through the impacted transmission corridors, including parts of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) networks.
However, the operator emphasized that the national grid remained stable and fully operational throughout the incident.
“Generation across other regions was not disrupted. System frequency remained within acceptable operational limits and there was no widespread loss of synchronism or nationwide blackout — conditions that would characterize a system collapse,” the statement read.
NISO further disclosed that the affected transmission lines have since been restored and electricity supply reinstated to impacted locations.
While acknowledging the inconvenience experienced by consumers within the affected corridors, the agency urged stakeholders, media organizations, and the public to desist from spreading unverified information and to rely on official technical updates from NISO, which it described as the only authentic source of information on grid events.
The operator reaffirmed that the Nigerian National Grid remains operational and under continuous technical supervision to ensure reliability, resilience, and system security.