Nigeria’s Transmission Company (TCN) has another explanation for Thursday’s grid collapse, this time pinning the blame on “ongoing repair works.” In a statement, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah detailed how a sudden frequency spike in the national grid, jumping from 50.33Hz to 51.44Hz, brought power to a screeching halt at around 11:29 a.m. And while TCN claims recovery efforts began “immediately” with power restored to Abuja within 28 minutes, many Nigerians report they’re still left in the dark, barely recovering from the grid’s previous failure on Tuesday.
Mbah revealed that the frequency spike came from an issue at one of TCN’s substations, which had to be shut down to avoid further disruption. As a “solution,” TCN says it’s addressing “critical repairs” across the system.
These include the 330kV transmission lines on the Shiroro-Mando axis, significant upgrades at the Jebba Transmission Substation, and restoring the second Ugwuaji-Apir 330kV line.
According to TCN, they’ve even launched efforts to address weaknesses identified in previous grid collapse investigations, all in a bid to achieve a “more stable and resilient grid.”
“Efforts are being made to close the gaps highlighted in the report and to enhance the overall stability and resilience of the grid,” Mbah added. But before we celebrate, TCN warns that the repair work won’t happen overnight – so, a degree of instability is still expected until these “improvements” are fully completed.
TCN is asking for patience, and they’re promising a stable future grid… eventually. But until then, it seems Nigeria’s power sector has made grid collapse part of our routine.
