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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that efforts to restore the national grid, which collapsed on Monday, October 14, 2024, are progressing and are nearing completion.
In a statement released on Tuesday by TCN’s Public Affairs General Manager, Ndidi Mbah, the grid experienced a partial disturbance at around 6:48 pm on Monday. Despite an initial recovery attempt, which began with Azura Power Station providing a “blackstart” to reboot the system, the process encountered a challenge on Tuesday morning around 10:24 am, causing a minor setback.
However, Mbah reassured the public that the grid recovery has reached an advanced stage, with power now restored to about 90% of TCN’s substations nationwide. Power supply has already resumed in key areas, including Abuja and other major distribution centers.
The statement also clarified that the disturbance did not impact the Ibom Gas Generating Station, which remained isolated from the grid. The station continued to supply power to areas in the South-South region, such as Eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse will commence once full grid restoration is achieved. This recent incident is one of several grid collapses that have occurred in Nigeria this year, with previous incidents recorded in February, March, April, July, and August.
In earlier discussions with the Senate Committee on Power, Nafisat Ali, the Executive Director of the Independent System Operator (ISO) department of TCN, cited a range of factors contributing to the frequent grid collapses. These include inadequate gas supply, poor coordination of power plants and pipelines, and low generation availability across the power sector.