The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has faulted Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) over its attribution of recent electricity supply disruptions to grid instability, describing the claim as inaccurate and inconsistent with the actual state of power generation and transmission in the country.
TCN, in a statement signed by its management on Friday, was reacting to a public notice issued by IKEDC on November 5, in which several Band A feeder outages recorded on November 3 and 4 were blamed on grid instability and attributed to the transmission company.
The transmission company argued that IKEDC lacked the authority to determine the root causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid, citing Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, which assigns such responsibilities to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).
It added that NISO had not attributed the outages identified in IKEDC’s notice to any failure by TCN.
According to TCN, NISO’s November 5 clarification identified inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced hydroelectric generation resulting from lower reservoir inflows as the major factors behind the decline in electricity generation.
The company explained that the reduction in available generation had affected energy allocations to electricity distribution companies (DisCos), resulting in fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across distribution networks.
TCN maintained that the supply shortfall experienced by IKEDC customers was a consequence of reduced electricity generation rather than any failure of its transmission infrastructure.
It stressed that the transmission company could only deliver electricity generated and made available to the national grid.
Providing further details, TCN said its records showed that 68 per cent of interruptions recorded across feeders supplying IKEDC on November 1 and 2 were frequency-control load shedding caused by low electricity generation.
It attributed another 26 per cent to IKEDC’s alleged failure to comply with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre, as well as faults and maintenance works on the distribution company’s network.
The remaining six per cent, according to TCN, resulted from planned maintenance, switching operations and line limitations on its network.
The company insisted that none of the recorded interruptions was caused by TCN equipment failure or a transmission line trip.
On the 46 interruptions recorded on the 33kV feeders listed in IKEDC’s notice, TCN said 29 resulted from frequency-control load shedding linked to low generation, while 14 were attributed to IKEDC.
Of the 14 incidents, nine reportedly resulted from non-compliance with allocated load, while five were caused by faults or trips on IKEDC’s distribution network.
The remaining three interruptions were linked to scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1.
TCN also cited the Rack Centre feeder incident on November 2, which it said resulted from a cable fault on IKEDC’s network and was repaired by the distribution company’s technical team.
It further noted that IKEDC’s own public notice attributed several feeder interruptions, including those affecting MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to 33kV faults on its network.
Describing IKEDC’s position as being out of step with the actual state of electricity supply in Nigeria, TCN warned that attributing generation-related supply shortages to transmission failures could mislead customers, undermine public confidence and distract attention from the industry’s underlying challenges.
The transmission company urged IKEDC and other distribution companies to stop making unverified claims about the causes of electricity supply disruptions and instead rely on information from NISO, which is responsible for national grid operations.
It also advised electricity consumers to consult NISO’s official communication platforms for accurate updates on developments in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
While sympathising with customers experiencing reduced electricity supply hours, TCN reaffirmed its commitment to transmitting all available electricity safely and efficiently, despite prevailing operational constraints.
It added that it would continue working with NISO, generation companies and distribution companies to improve electricity supply across the country.
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