By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Thursday announced the restoration of the Benin–Egbin 330kV transmission line following a power system disturbance that disrupted electricity supply across Lagos and surrounding areas earlier in the day.
The company, however, said efforts were still underway to restore the Benin–Omotoso 330kV transmission line, which was also affected by the incident.
In a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, TCN said the disruption occurred at about 8:19 a.m. when the national grid experienced voltage instability that rapidly spread across the Lagos transmission corridor.
According to the statement, the disturbance led to the loss of some generating stations, outages on transmission lines, and a subsequent interruption of electricity supply to Lagos and neighbouring areas.
TCN explained that the National Control Centre immediately directed several power generation companies to reduce their output to contain the rise in system frequency, stabilise the grid and prevent a wider system collapse.
The company added that the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, promptly convened an emergency meeting involving the management of TCN and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) to coordinate restoration efforts and determine the next course of action.
“We are pleased to report that one of the affected lines, the Benin–Egbin 330kV transmission line, which was opened during the incident, has already been restored and is currently transmitting bulk electricity,” the statement said.
It added that a joint team of engineers from TCN’s Benin and Omotoso sub-regions was working to repair faults on the Benin–Omotoso 330kV transmission line to enable the full restoration of bulk power supply to the Lagos complex.
“A combined team of TCN engineers from the Benin and Omotoso sub-regions are working assiduously to rectify the remaining faults on the 330kV Benin–Omotoso transmission line to ensure full restoration of bulk power supply to the Lagos complex as quickly as possible,” the company stated.
TCN apologised to residents, businesses and other electricity consumers affected by the outage, assuring them that the Ministry of Power and relevant agencies were making every effort to restore normal transmission operations.
The company reiterated its commitment to strengthening grid operations and reducing the recurrence of such incidents.
“Our goal is to stabilise and strengthen the national grid, with the aim of minimising the recurrence of such incidents,” the statement added.
TCN urged affected consumers to remain patient while restoration work continues on the Benin–Omotoso transmission line, assuring them that updates would be provided as progress is made.
