TCN blames national blackout on ‘partial system disturbance’

 

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has described Sunday’s national grid collapse as ‘system disturbance,’ assuring that the situation has been rectified. 

TCN’s GM public affairs, Ndidi Mbah however said the nationwide darkness may persist due to gas shortage. 

As at the time of filing this report, most parts of Nigeria are still in darkness following the crash of  the national grid. 

The TCN statement which was posted in its official X handle said the national grid is now up as the system disturbance has been resolved. 

The statement reads: “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that the grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 11:21Hours today (February 4) 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. 

“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. 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. 

“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 the tripping of Sapele Steam and Egbin Power generating units.”