TCN yab Ikeja Electric over 'grid instability' claim on Lagos light outage
- TCN say Ikeja Electric wrongly blame grid instability for the light outage wey affect Band A customers for Lagos.
- Di transmission company talk say gas and water shortfall reduce di power wey reach DiCos.
- Ikeja Electric never respond to TCN Friday statement.
Di Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) don push back on Ikeja Electric explanation for recent light outage for some parts of Lagos, saying di problem no be failure on di national grid but shortage of electricity wey dem generate.
For one statement on Friday, TCN talk say Ikeja Electric public notice of November 5 blame outage on Band A feeders on November 3 and 4 on "grid instability" and blame TCN. TCN call that one misleading.
Di quarrel concern households and businesses for Ikeja and nearby areas, many of dem dey on Band A tariff, wey dey pay premium for at least 20 hours of light every day.
Wetin TCN talk cause di outage
According to TCN, di Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), wey dey run di grid, don already explain di drop in supply. NISO blame constraints in gas supply to thermal power stations and lower output from hydroelectric plants because of reduced water wey dey enter reservoirs.
Less generation, TCN talk, mean less energy wey dem allocate to distribution companies (DisCos), so fewer hours of supply and more load shedding across dia networks.
"TCN can only transmit di energy wey dem make available to am and cannot transmit energy wey dem no generate," di company talk for di statement, wey Ndidi Mba, general manager of im corporate communication unit, issue.
TCN also argue say Ikeja Electric, like other market participants, no get authority to decide wetin cause grid disturbance. E cite Section 67 of di Electricity Act 2023, wey e talk say put that responsibility for NISO hand.
Di figures wey TCN present
TCN give breakdown of interruptions on feeders wey dey supply Ikeja Electric. For November 1 and 2, e talk say 68 per cent na frequency-control load shedding wey low generation cause.
Another 26 per cent, TCN talk, come from Ikeja Electric non-compliance with load allocations from NISO National Control Centre, or from faults and maintenance on di DisCo own network. Di remaining 6 per cent na TCN planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.
For di 46 interruptions on di 33kV feeders wey dem name for Ikeja Electric notice, TCN talk say 29 na load shedding from low generation and 14 dem record against Ikeja Electric: nine for non-compliance with load allocation and five for faults or trips on im network. Di other three na scheduled TCN maintenance on di Ogba–Alimosho line on November 1.
TCN talk say none of di interruptions wey dem record na fault or trip on im equipment cause am. E also point to di Rack Centre feeder, wey e talk say cable fault on Ikeja Electric network hit on November 2 and di DisCo crew repair am.
There is gap for di accounts: TCN feeder records cover November 1 and 2, while di Ikeja Electric notice wey e dey respond to concern outages on November 3 and 4. TCN no explain di difference.
TCN urge Ikeja Electric and other DisCos to base dia public messages on verified information from NISO, warning say to blame generation shortfalls on transmission fit mislead customers and weaken confidence in di sector. E talk say e dey sympathise with affected customers.
Ikeja Electric bin earlier apologise to im Band A customers over di reduced supply, one gesture wey draw criticism because other customer bands also affected. Di Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, also don apologise for di reduced supply and promise quick restoration.
Wetin go happen next: Di sources no talk whether Ikeja Electric go respond to TCN statement or correct im notice. For now, TCN dey direct customers to NISO official platforms for information on di state of di power sector.
