Blackouts: TCN assures electricity consumers restoration of national grid almost completed

*Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, says the company’s grid recovery process has reached an advanced stage, ensuring bulk power availability to about 90 percent of its substations, disclosing power supply has been restored to the Abuja axis, and other major distribution load centres nationwide

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As electricity supply is gradually being restored to homes, business, and organisations in several parts of the country beginning from morning Tuesday, October 5, 2024, after a major national grid collapse, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says the ongoing restoration of the grid that collapsed evening Monday, October 14, is ongoing, it is almost completed.

ConsumerConnect reports the latest collapse of the national grid is one of the several collapse incidents in Nigeria this year.

The national grid had collapsed February 4, March 28, April 15, July 6, and August 5 this year, according to report.

Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs of TCN, who affirmed the development in a statement Tuesday, acknowledged that the national grid actually experienced a partial disturbance at about 6:48 p.m.

Mbah said: “Although the recovery of the grid commenced immediately, with Azura power station providing the blackstart, grid recovery reached advanced stages at about 10.24 a.m., today (Tuesday), when it encountered a challenge that caused a slight setback in the recovery process.”

“The slight setback notwithstanding,” Mbah said TCN had “continued with the grid recovery process, which has reached an advanced stage, ensuring bulk power availability to about 90% of its substations nationwide.”

The company noted that supply has been restored to the Abuja axis and other major distribution load centres nationwide.

According to the top official of TCN, partial disturbance did not affect the Ibom Gas generating station, which was islanded from the grid Monday, and the continued to supply areas in the South-Southern part of the country, including Eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu 132kV transmission Substations during the period.

The investigation into the cause of the incident will be carried out as soon as the grid is fully restored, she stated.

Reasons for frequent grid collapses in Nigeria, by expert

Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator (ISO) Department of the TCN, April 2024, reportedly gave various reasons for the incessant grid collapse incidents in the country while appearing before the Federal lawmakers, in Abuja, FCT.

Ali told the Senate Committee on Power that “the causes of grid collapse in Nigeria spread across all participants, from generation companies to transmission and distribution.”

She stated: “From generation companies, there is the inadequacy of gas supply, improper coordination of plants and gas pipelines, poor generation availability.”

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