TCN says grid fully restored, blames blackout on lingering gas constraint

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced the restoration of the National grid which had collapsed at 11:21am on Sunday.

Ndidi Mbah, the generalmanager of public affairs department at TCN disclosed this in a statement issued to BusinessDay.

She explained that prior to the incident, total generation on the grid was 3,901.25 MW at 08:00Hours, a little over three hours before time of partial collapse.

“The grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 11:21Hours today with Ibom power islanded, feeding Eket, Ekim, Itu & Uyo transmission substations, during the period of partial disturbance. TCN initiated immediate restoration of the affected part of the grid, and presently, the grid is fully restored.

“It is important to note that low power generation has persisted since January 2024, to date, exacerbating daily due to the lingering gas constraint.

“According to the National Control Center (NCC), the Internet of Things (IoT) revealed that just before the partial disturbance, which occurred at 11:21Hrs today, Sapele Steam & Egbin Substations lost a total of 29.32MW & 343.84MW at 11:20:14Hrs & 11:20:17Hrs respectively, totalling 373.16MW. This, combined with the current low power generation due to gas constraints, caused the imbalance leading to the partial system disturbance.

She further explained that ensuring sufficient gas supply to power generating stations was crucial for grid stability as sufficient generation allows for better grid management in the event of sudden generation losses.

“Gas constraints continue to impact grid flexibility and stability. Ensuring sufficient gas supply to power generating stations is crucial for grid stability as sufficient generation allows for better grid management in the event of sudden generation losses like this. TCN will investigate the cause of tripping of Sapele Steam & Egbin power generating units,” she said.