A “total system collapse” was reported by Nigeria’s electrical distribution providers on Thursday, leading to widespread blackouts throughout the largest economy in Africa. According to Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, the interruption was brought on by a fire on a significant transmission line.

Adelabu claimed that the fire had been put out and that power production was gradually starting up again. But only 1,341 megawatts of power were being produced as of 2 p.m. GMT, a far cry from the 4,100 megawatt daily average.

Lagos-based Eko Electricity Distribution Company, one of the biggest, said grid power was being restored.

The grid collapse is the fourth time it has happened in 2022. Authorities have blamed technical problems for the outages.

Nigeria has 12,500 megawatts of installed power capacity but produces only about a quarter of that.

The blackouts have had a significant impact on businesses and households across Nigeria. Many businesses have been forced to close or operate at reduced capacity. Households have also been inconvenienced, as they have had to rely on generators for power.

The blackouts have also had a negative impact on the economy. The Nigerian Stock Exchange has fallen sharply since the blackouts began, and businesses have expressed concerns about the impact on productivity.

The government has said that it is working to restore power to all affected areas as soon as possible.