Repair Activities Behind Thursday’s Grid Collapse — TCN

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has attributed Thursday’s national grid collapse to ongoing maintenance and repair activities in the power sector. TCN’s spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, outlined this in a recent statement.

Mbah explained that the grid experienced an incident at approximately 11:29 am on Thursday due to a sudden spike in frequency from 50.33Hz to 51.44Hz. She noted that recovery operations were initiated immediately, successfully restoring power to the Abuja area within 28 minutes, though many residents reported continued outages following an earlier grid collapse on Tuesday.

Mbah specified that the frequency spike originated from challenges at one of TCN’s substations, necessitating its shutdown to prevent further issues. She emphasized that significant repair efforts are ongoing, targeting crucial transmission infrastructure. These include the 330kV transmission lines along the Shiroro–Mando route, upgrades at the Jebba Substation, and work on the second Ugwuaji–Apir 330kV transmission line.

“Following an investigative report on past grid failures, TCN has begun addressing the identified vulnerabilities within the transmission system,” Mbah noted. She highlighted that measures are in place to close these gaps, improve grid stability, and enhance resilience, incorporating technical and strategic upgrades recommended by the review committee.

However, Mbah cautioned that some instability is expected to continue until all major repairs are finalized. “We acknowledge the inconvenience caused by these disruptions and seek public understanding and patience during this period,” she said.

She reassured that TCN is dedicated to boosting the reliability of the power supply, recognizing its critical importance to Nigeria’s economic and social well-being. “We are taking every necessary step to secure long-term grid stability and addressing infrastructure challenges such as vandalism,” Mbah added.

Meanwhile, Thursday’s grid collapse marked the second such event within days, adding to the tally of 10 grid failures since January 2024. Reports indicated that as of 11 am on Thursday, the national grid could only generate 2,323 megawatts, which later plummeted to zero by noon. Earlier, the day’s peak generation reached 3,743 megawatts at 10 am.

The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) also informed customers of an outage at 11:29 am, stating: “Dear Esteemed Customer, we experienced a system outage today, 7th November 2024, at 11:29 hrs, affecting supply within our network. Restoration is ongoing with our key stakeholders’ assistance. Thank you for your patience.”

READ ALSO: