TCN clarifies partial grid collapse, restoration efforts underway

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has clarified that the national grid collapse, which occurred on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, was a partial disruption rather than a total outage.

Data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal (niggrid.org) indicated that power generation dropped to zero megawatts around 2:00 pm, impacting all 22 operational generation companies (GenCos) across the country.

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In a statement on Tuesday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, attributed the incident to multiple line and generator trips, which caused instability across the grid, interrupting power supply in several regions.

“The disruption did not impact the entire grid, sparing certain areas from power loss,” Mbah said. “TCN engineers are actively working to restore bulk power to affected regions, with supply already restored to Abuja by 2:49 pm.”

Efforts to restore power to other areas are ongoing, Mbah added, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to electricity consumers.

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.