Substation explosion plunges parts of Enugu into blackout

Electricity supply to several parts of Enugu metropolis has been disrupted following an explosion at the Gariki Injection Substation on Friday night. Communities served by the Army and Gariki 11kV feeders are currently without power.

Emeka Ezeh, Head of Communications at MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited, stated that the outage resulted from damage caused by the explosion. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026, affecting an indoor 11kV breaker at the injection substation. Areas impacted on the Army 11kV feeder include Army Barracks, One Day Road, Meniru, Upper Meniru, and Joe Continental.

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MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited wishes to inform its esteemed customers served by the Army and Gariki 11kV feeders that the ongoing power outage is due to an explosion at the Gariki Injection Substation.

On the Gariki 11kV feeder, affected communities include Gariki Market, Mayor Market, Roban Stores on Agbani Road, Crunchies, Mobile Police Barracks, Amechi Road, Upper Mount, Ikiriki, Emeka Ebila, Ozalla Street, Egbonnaji, Nnaji Ogbodo, Idaw River, Igbariam Street, Liberation, Mount, Umuchu, Achina, Vance, Unubi, Enugu Agidi, Amawbia, Amokwe, Kenneth, Amah, and Hill Crest. Ezeh confirmed that the company's technical team has begun assessing the damaged equipment and has commenced restoration work.

MainPower has apologized for the inconvenience caused to its customers and appealed for patience as restoration efforts continue. The company previously faced scrutiny earlier this year when the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission downgraded some of its feeders for failing to meet minimum daily electricity supply standards. MainPower took over electricity distribution in Enugu State after the unbundling of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company's operations.

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The incident occurred today, Friday, July 17, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m. and affected the indoor 11kV breaker at the injection substation.