POWER SECTOR;“TEGBE, BABALOLA’S ‘RESET’ MEET ITS FIRST CURSE : SAHARA’S EGBIN LOTO FAILURE WIPES 1,000MW AND KILLS A DIVER”
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–SAHARA’S Egbin shutdown hits in the same week Nigeria’s new power minister,Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe and special adviser, Mr Lanre Babalola were sworn in, raising questions if the plant’s safety lapse is an albatross for the “Reset and Restore” agenda.
Key Issues:
1. A Bad Omen For The New Power Team
_”Will it be right to say that the incident that happened at the Sahara’s Egbin thermal station that takes away over 1000MW from the National grid same week that the duo of Joseph Tegbe and Lanre Babalola were appointed as Minister and Special Adviser into the Power sector is a bad omen for country?”_
_”Same week: 1. Lanre Babalola appointed and Joseph Tegbe into ‘Reset and Restore’ power sector. 2. MTN prints ₦632bn op profit — demand for power is there. 3. Egbin, largest plant, shuts on safety failure.”_
_”Politics: Babalola’s taskforce just got its first crisis. ‘Reset’ starts with safety, not tariffs.”_
2. Preventable LOTO Failure Killed A Diver And Took Down The Grid
_”Pump unexpectedly powered on while diver was in restricted zone. Impeller trapped and killed him.”_
_”This points to LOTO failure: Lockout/Tagout. Global safety standard for energy isolation… What likely happened: Communication breakdown… Auto-start… Permit-to-work gap.”_
_”If this happened, it’s usually plant-side isolation error, not diver error.”_
3. Systemic Fragility Now On Tegbe And Babalola’s Watch
_”Single point of failure: 20% of grid in one plant. No redundancy.”_
_”Safety culture: If Egbin — privately owned by Sahara Group, best-funded GenCo — has LOTO failure, what about others?”_
_”Maintenance underinvestment: Underwater work is high-risk. Was this deferred maintenance? Were cheaper contractors used?”_
_”Until Nigeria has 10,000MW+ with redundancy, one accident = national blackout.”_
4. Grid Instability And Economic Hit For Nigerians
_”Egbin capacity: 1,320MW installed, ∼800-1,000MW typically available. National grid: Usually 4,000-5,500MW total. Impact: Lose 800-1,000MW = 15-25% of supply gone instantly.”_
_”Grid instability: TCN will shed load nationwide to prevent system collapse. Lagos, Ogun, parts of South-West hit hardest — Egbin feeds them directly.”_
_”Blackouts: Band A areas dropping to 4-6hrs/day. Bands B-E may see 0-2hrs.”_
_”Every day Egbin is off, Nigeria loses ∼20m kWh. At ₦150/kWh economic cost, that’s ₦3bn/day in lost productivity.”_
_”For Lagos residents: Expect load shedding till next week minimum. Charge devices, buy fuel. Workers’ Day Friday will be dark for many.”_
5. Immediate Regulatory And Political Response
_”NERC directive: Expect emergency order to all GenCos — audit LOTO, confined space, underwater work permits within 72hrs.”_
_”Compensation: Browndive, Egbin, insurers negotiate with family. Could hit ₦200m+ if negligence proven.”_
_”Grid: TCN + NBET will call on Geregu, Omotosho, Olorunsogo to ramp up. Hydro from Kainji/Jebba helps. But Lagos will suffer.”_
Bottom Line:
_”A man died doing a dangerous job. The grid lost 1,000MW. Millions of Nigerians will sit in darkness this weekend… Industrial accidents happen. But ‘pump unexpectedly powered on’ during diving is preventable. That’s what LOTO is for.”_
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