TCN blames blackout on gas supply constraints, says ‘grid fully restored’

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says the national grid has been fully restored.

The national power grid had collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, causing a blackout across the nation.

Speaking in a statement on Sunday, Ndidi Mbah, the general manager of TCN’s public affairs, blamed the incident on gas supply constraints that continuously affect the stability of the grid.

“The grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 11:21 Hours today with Ibom power islanded, feeding Eket, Ekim, Itu & Uyo transmission substations, during the period of partial disturbance,” TCN said.

“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 08:00 Hours, a little over three hours before the 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) was revealed just before the partial disturbance, which occurred at 11:21 Hrs. 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.”

Mbah, however, said 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.

She also said the transmission company will investigate the cause of the tripping of Sapele Steam and Egbin power generating units.