Power generation in the country dropped by 1,080 mega watts on Tuesday, due to the shutdown of the Egbin Thermal Station.
The Egbin Power Station was shut down on Tuesday around 3.50 p. m. The station currently contributes about 1,080 mega watts to the national grid.
A senior official of the PHCN, who preferred anonymity, told NAN in Lagos on Wednesday that all the facilities at the power station were completely shut down.
The source said that the hydro component of the power station, called the “bi-minerasation plant” and which had been poorly maintained over the years, caused the collapse of the entire station.
He said that the power station was shut down when it could no longer generate power, adding that lack of spare parts was the major challenge facing the plant.
“The failed hydro plant has been repaired several times and because the plant is obsolete, getting the spare parts has become a challenge.
“We have been managing the plant for over 30 to 40 years. When it breaks down, it takes about five days for it to come up again,’’ the source said.
He said that the station often took time to come up whenever it was went down, noting that it would take up to Saturday before the station could work again.
He said that PHCN officials were already in Abuja, working towards resuscitating the station.
A correspondent of NAN, who visited the station, confirmed that the station had been shut down and the workers seen idling around.
Tthe station is the biggest power-generating plant in the country with installed capacity to generate 1,320 mega watts.