TCN rejects Ikeja Electric's claim that grid instability caused Band A blackouts
- TCN says gas and hydro shortfalls, not its network, caused Ikeja Electric's Band A outages.
- The grid operator says only NISO, not a DisCo, can determine what caused grid interruptions.
- Ikeja Electric had apologised to Band A customers and blamed grid instability for the outages.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has pushed back on Ikeja Electric's claim that grid instability caused the Band A outages the DisCo reported on November 3 and 4.
In a statement on Friday, TCN said the attribution in Ikeja Electric's November 5 public notice was inaccurate and misleading, and that the real cause was a fall in generation.
According to TCN, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) — the body that runs the national grid — had already blamed the reduced power generation on gas supply constraints to gas-fired power stations and lower output from hydro stations because of reduced water inflow into their reservoirs.
That, TCN said, cut the energy available to distribution companies (DisCos), which means fewer hours of supply and more load shedding across their networks.
What TCN says the records show
TCN said Ikeja Electric's notice was wrong on two counts: the cause of the problem, and who is allowed to name it.
Its General Manager of Corporate Communication, Ndidi Mba, said determining what causes disturbances and shortfalls on the grid is not a DisCo's job.
She cited Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, which she said gives that responsibility exclusively to NISO. "IE, like every other market participant, has no authority to make such determinations," Mba said.
TCN also argued it can only wheel power that is generated. "TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated," it said.
The transmission company backed its position with figures. It said that of the interruptions recorded on November 1 and 2, 68 per cent were load shedding to control frequency because of low generation.
Another 26 per cent, it said, came from IKEDC not following load allocations from NISO's National Control Centre, or from faults and work on its own network. The remaining 6 per cent were TCN planned maintenance, switching or line limits.
On the 33kV feeders named in Ikeja Electric's notice, TCN counted 46 interruptions: 29 from load shedding due to low generation, 14 recorded against IKEDC (nine for not following allocations, five for faults or trips on its own network), and three from scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1.
TCN said the Rack Centre feeder was hit by a cable fault on Ikeja Electric's network on November 2, which the DisCo's own crew repaired. It added that Ikeja Electric's notice itself listed MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre as 33kV faults on its network.
TCN said no interruption in the period came from a fault or trip on its equipment, and urged Ikeja Electric and other DisCos to stop blaming it for shortfalls caused by generation problems.
"TCN therefore urges IKEDC and other DisCos to desist forthwith from making unfounded claims about the causes of supply shortfalls to their customers," it said, asking customers to rely on NISO's official channels for information.
TCN said it sympathised with customers getting fewer hours of power and would keep transmitting all available energy while working with NISO, generation companies and the DisCos.
