TCN denies grid collapse, blames Egbin substation

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has denied reports of a national grid collapse on Monday, clarifying that the incident was limited to a line tripping at the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah explained that the event was misrepresented in some media outlets, she clarified that the incident involved arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV line, affecting power supply in certain areas but not causing a grid system collapse.

“The line tripping began around 2:47 p.m. yesterday, triggered by a significant system surge that caused the arcing of the Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard,” Mbah stated. “This issue has been resolved, and power supply was restored to the substation by 6:10 p.m. on August 5, 2024.”

She elaborated that the system surge led to tripping at the Egbin Generating Station, resulting in a loss of power supply to all outgoing lines from the Egbin Transmission Substation.

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“The line tripping was quickly rectified, enabling the grid controller to restore full bulk power supply through the transmission lines at about 6:10 p.m. yesterday,” Mbah said.

Mbah’s statement emphasised that contrary to reports, the incident did not cause a national grid collapse but did affect power supply in specific regions.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby notes that at about 6:10 p.m. yesterday, 5th August 2024, power supply was restored to areas that had been affected by the arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator which caused lines tripping and consequent loss of supply to some areas. However, contrary to media reports, the incident did not cause a system collapse.”

On Monday, BusinessDay’s check on the Independent System Operators website showed that electricity generated by the 22 generation companies peaked at 4,067.77MW and declined to it’s lowest at 823.5MW before the total drop to 0.00.

Faith Esifiho

Faith Esifiho is an Energy correspondent at BusinessDay, covering Nigeria's electricity sector, oil and gas industry, and energy policy. She reports on power outages, electricity tariffs, gas sector reforms, and the broader challenges facing the country's energy transition. She specializes in data-led reporting and human-angle stories that examine how energy policies affect everyday Nigerians and also tracks trends in the power sector, analyses regulatory changes, and investigates the impact of subsidy reforms and pricing policies.