Blackout looms as floods trigger force majeure in Nigeria’s commercial capital

A looming power outage is threatening parts of Nigeria’s commercial capital after flooding from persistent rainfall crippled a key electricity transmission facility, forcing the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to declare force majeure on two strategic substations.

The utility said the Oworonshoki 132/33kV Transmission Substation has been knocked out of service after floodwaters submerged critical equipment, raising the prospect of prolonged electricity disruptions for customers supplied through the facility.

TCN, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the force majeure affects both the Oworonshoki 132/33kV and Lekki 330/132kV transmission substations following severe flooding caused by continuous rainfall in Lagos.

While the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation remains operational, the company said emergency crews are continuously pumping out floodwater to keep the facility running.

However, the Oworonshoki substation has been forced offline after rising water levels affected two of its power transformers.

According to TCN, the floodwaters caused TR1 (60MVA) and TR3 (30MVA) transformers to trip on no-load, and repeated attempts to restore them have failed.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN hereby declares force majeure on Oworonshoki 132/33kV and Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substations as a result of flooding caused by continuous rainfall in Lagos,” the company said.

It added that, “Although Lekki 132kV Transmission Substation is still in service as water is continuously being pumped out of the station, Oworonshoki Transmission Substation on the other hand is presently not in service as the level of water has affected two power transformers, TR1-60MVA and TR3-30MVA that tripped on no load even after attempted restoration.”

TCN said restoration efforts have been frustrated because floodwater has completely submerged the protection and control cables serving the affected transformers.

“Presently, all power protection and control cables of the two power transformers are submerged inside water, and efforts to evacuate the water have proved ineffective as the rain continues to fall,” the statement said.

The company said engineers are working to drain the flooded substation to enable integrity tests on the transformers before electricity supply can be restored.

“Our engineers are doing everything possible to evacuate the flood to enable them test the transformers for restoration,” TCN stated.

The transmission company apologised for the disruption, expressing regret to customers of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko DisCo) who receive power from the affected transmission substation.

“TCN regrets any inconvenience this might cause Eko DisCo’s customers taking supply from the substation,” it added.

The incident highlights the increasing vulnerability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure to extreme weather events.

With heavy rainfall continuing across Lagos, concerns are mounting that prolonged flooding could delay restoration work and deepen electricity supply challenges in Africa’s largest city and commercial hub.