TCN faults Ikeja Electric over 'grid instability' claim on Lagos outages

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has pushed back on Ikeja Electric's explanation for recent power outages in parts of Lagos, saying the problem was not a failure on the national grid but a shortage of electricity generated.

In a statement on Friday, TCN said Ikeja Electric's public notice of November 5 attributed outages on Band A feeders on November 3 and 4 to "grid instability" and blamed TCN. TCN called that account misleading.

The dispute matters to households and businesses in Ikeja and nearby areas, many of them on the Band A tariff, who pay a premium for at least 20 hours of power a day.

What TCN says caused the outages

According to TCN, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), which runs the grid, had already explained the drop in supply. NISO blamed constraints in gas supply to thermal power stations and lower output from hydroelectric plants because of reduced water inflows into reservoirs.

Less generation, TCN said, meant less energy allocated to the distribution companies (DisCos), and so fewer hours of supply and more load shedding across their networks.

"TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated," the company said in the statement, issued by Ndidi Mba, general manager of its corporate communication unit.

TCN also argued that Ikeja Electric, like other market participants, has no authority to decide what caused a grid disturbance. It cited Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, which it said places that responsibility with NISO.

The figures TCN presented

TCN gave a breakdown of interruptions on feeders supplying Ikeja Electric. For November 1 and 2, it said 68 per cent were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation.

Another 26 per cent, TCN said, came from Ikeja Electric's non-compliance with load allocations from NISO's National Control Centre, or from faults and maintenance on the DisCo's own network. The remaining 6 per cent were TCN's planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.

For the 46 interruptions on the 33kV feeders named in Ikeja Electric's notice, TCN said 29 were load shedding from low generation and 14 were recorded against Ikeja Electric: nine for non-compliance with load allocation and five for faults or trips on its network. The other three were scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba–Alimosho line on November 1.

TCN said none of the recorded interruptions was caused by a fault or trip on its equipment. It also pointed to the Rack Centre feeder, which it said was hit by a cable fault on Ikeja Electric's network on November 2 and repaired by the DisCo's crew.

There is a gap in the accounts: TCN's feeder records cover November 1 and 2, while the Ikeja Electric notice it was responding to concerned outages on November 3 and 4. TCN did not explain the difference.

TCN urged Ikeja Electric and other DisCos to base their public messages on verified information from NISO, warning that blaming generation shortfalls on transmission could mislead customers and weaken confidence in the sector. It said it sympathised with affected customers.

Ikeja Electric had earlier apologised to its Band A customers over the reduced supply, a gesture that drew criticism because other customer bands were also affected. The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has also apologised for the reduced supply and promised quick restoration.

What happens next: The sources do not say whether Ikeja Electric will respond to TCN's statement or correct its notice. For now, TCN is directing customers to NISO's official platforms for information on the state of the power sector.