The Egbin power plant in the Ikorodu axis of Lagos State has restored power generation to the national grid days after a fatal accident that claimed the life of a contractor.
The PUNCH reports that the thermal plant resumed gradual restoration over the weekend, according to available data on the system operator’s platform. As of Sunday, Egbin, which was down to zero megawatts as of Thursday, generated 451MW.
Confirming the development, the Head of Corporate Communications & Branding at Egbin Power, Felix Ofulue, told our correspondent that the plant is back on the grid.
According to Ofulue, the plant was not shut down by security agencies, but was shut down when the company began maintenance work on the cooling system. The death of the contractor after the incident, he said, was the only reason the plant was not immediately turned on, to allow for proper investigation.
“The plant is back. I can confirm that we are back on the grid now. The plant was not shut down by security operatives; we invited the law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident,” he said.
The PUNCH reports that the Nigerian Independent System Operator disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the Egbin Power Station suffered a major operational disturbance, leading to a complete loss of generation and worsening supply constraints in the nation’s commercial hub.
In the statement, the system operator said the incident occurred at about 8:21 pm on April 28, when the plant’s output dropped from about 641 megawatts to zero, throwing many Lagos residents into darkness.
It was earlier reported that the affected contractor, a diver engaged for underwater work inside the plant’s cooling system, died after an accident during maintenance activities.
Sources told our correspondent that the diver was working inside the lagoon water pump system when a pump reportedly came on unexpectedly, trapping him in the impeller and leading to his death.
It was gathered that following the incident, safety protocols were activated, delaying the resumption of operations.
In a brief statement made available to our correspondent by the management of the company on Thursday, Egbin confirmed the incident, expressing sadness over the demise of the contractor.
Egbin Power Plc, Nigeria’s largest electricity generation plant with an installed capacity of 1,320MW, said emergency response procedures were immediately activated after the incident, while relevant authorities were notified.
The board and management of Egbin Power expressed deep sorrow and extended their heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of the deceased.
The PUNCH reports that this is the first fatal accident recorded by a generation company in several months.
According to reports by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, distribution companies have been responsible for most fatalities recorded in the power sector in recent quarters.
