- The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) clarified that Saturday's power outage was caused by line trippings, not a grid collapse
- The Osogbo-Ihovbor and Benin-Omotosho transmission lines tripped, disrupting the power supply to the Lagos axis
- Total grid generation fell from 4,335.63 MW to 2,573.23 MW following the tripping incidents
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has clarified that the power fluctuations experienced in parts of the country on Saturday were due to line trippings and not a collapse of the national grid.
In a statement by TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah, it was revealed that the Ihovbor transmission line tripped at 1:41 pm, followed shortly by the Benin-Omotosho line.
The disruptions, Mbah noted, primarily affected the Lagos axis, leading to power supply challenges.
She further explained that the tripping incident impacted operations at several power stations, including Egbin, Olorunsogo, Omotosho, Geregu, and Paras.
While the power supply from these facilities has been restored, efforts to restore the Benin-Omotosho 330kV line have been ongoing since Saturday evening.
“Earlier today, at about 13:41 hrs, the Osogbo-Ihovbor line tripped, followed by the tripping of the Benin-Omotosho line. These consequently affected bulk supply only on the Lagos axis,” Mbah stated.
She also noted that the grid’s total generation capacity was 4,335.63 MW at 1:00 pm, shortly before the tripping occurred.
After the incident, generation dropped to 2,573.23 MW, demonstrating that the grid did not collapse.
“The transmission line tripping affected Egbin, Olorunsogo, Omotosho, Geregu, and Paras power stations. These have all been restored except for the Benin-Omotosho 330kV line, whose restoration is ongoing,” she added.
Mbah assured Nigerians that TCN remains committed to strengthening the national grid to reduce such incidents in the future.
Frequent national grid failures could persist unless Nigeria overhauls power sector, experts warn
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Nigeria's power sector is facing a growing crisis, with stakeholders warning that the frequent collapses of the national grid could persist unless urgent reforms are implemented to address the system's numerous challenges.
Experts pointed to several systemic issues that are exacerbating the grid's instability. Key factors include outdated equipment, insufficient gas supply, poor coordination between power plants and gas pipelines, and the absence of a reliable backup reserve system.