Emmanuel OchayiThe Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has revived the national power grid after a turbulent disruption, citing limitations in gas supply as the root cause.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, March 28, plunged millions of homes and businesses into darkness, prompting swift action from TCN to address the issue.
Speaking on the matter, a spokesperson from TCN stated, “We have successfully restored the national grid following a system disturbance that occurred on Thursday. The disruption was primarily due to a significant reduction in generation capacity, primarily stemming from gas constraints.”
The disruption, which commenced at 4:20 pm, intensified with the unexpected failure of Egbin generation’s turbine 3, resulting in an additional loss of 167MW load and ultimately causing the grid to collapse. TCN’s prompt response, however, led to the full recovery of the grid by 10:00 pm the same day.
Before the restoration, various distribution companies (DisCos) across the nation reported inactivity in their feeders, leading to widespread blackouts.
The sudden drop in the grid’s capacity, from 2,984 megawatts (MW) to zero within an hour, underscored the severity of the situation, halting operations at all 21 connected plants by 5 pm.
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Reflecting on the incident, TCN emphasized the need for concerted efforts to address gas constraints and ensure the stability of the grid in the future. Despite the challenges faced, TCN reassured the public that the grid is now stable and transmitting power to distribution load centers nationwide.
The disruption serves as a reminder of the intricate network that underpins the nation’s power supply and the critical role of consistent gas availability in sustaining it.
As TCN continues its efforts to fortify the grid against such disturbances, stakeholders are urged to collaborate in mitigating challenges and ensuring uninterrupted power supply for all Nigerians.
