TCN Restores Power Grid

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has successfully restored the national power grid.

A statement by the TCN General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Ndidiamaka Mbah, said the grid collapse which occured around 4pm on Thursday, 28 March was due to a significant drop in generation capacity primarily due to gas supply constraints.

This was the second time the nation witnessed grid collapse in 2024.

While revealing that the problem was resolved on Thursday night, the  spokesperson said TCN is committed to actively working towards addressing  disruption of power supply and  collaborates with stakeholders in the power sector value chain when the problem is beyond its control.

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The statement reads: “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN ) has successfully restored the national grid following a system disturbance that occurred at 4:28 p.m. on Thursday, 28th March 2024, with full recovery achieved by 10:00  p.m. that same day.

“According to a report from the National Control Centre (NCC) in Osogbo, the system disturbance was triggered by a significant reduction in generation capacity, primarily due to gas constraints. This reduction led to a rapid decline in system frequency. This created a sudden imbalance in the grid.

“The imbalance in grid stability was exacerbated by the sudden tripping of Egbin generation turbine 3, resulting in an additional loss of 167MW load and the subsequent collapse of the grid.

“The grid has, however, since been recovered and is stable, and is currently transmitting all the generated power to distribution load centres nationwide.

“TCN emphasizes its unwavering commitment to addressing grid challenges and actively working to mitigate disruptions. In instances where challenges extend beyond TCN’s control, the company collaborates with other stakeholders in the power sector value chain to minimize the impact and swiftly restore the grid to normal operation.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has promised Nigerians that the country’s current power outages will be resolved within the next three to six months.

He declared that payments would begin to be made to gas suppliers that have declined to sell gas to electricity generating businesses because of outstanding debt, as of April.