The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disputed Ikeja Electric’s attribution of recent Band A power outages to “grid instability”, saying reduced electricity generation caused by gas supply constraints and lower hydropower output is responsible for the decline in supply.
TCN said the distribution company’s November 5 public notice, which attributed outages recorded on November 3 and 4 to grid instability and blamed the transmission company, was inaccurate and misleading.
In a note Friday, the transmission network noted that the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the agency responsible for determining the causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid, had not attributed the outages to any failure of its transmission network.
“Root-cause determination is not the mandate of a DisCo.
By virtue of Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, the determination of the root cause of disturbances, shortfalls and interruptions on the national grid falls exclusively within the defined functions of the NISO,” the note read in part.
According to TCN, NISO’s November 5 clarification identified constraints in gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced output from hydroelectric stations due to lower reservoir inflows as the reasons for the decline in electricity generation.
The reduced generation has lowered the energy available for distribution companies, resulting in fewer hours of electricity supply and increased load shedding across distribution networks.
But the transmission network said the resulting supply shortfall should not be confused with transmission network failure, arguing that it can only transmit electricity generated and made available to the grid.
It also highlighted operational records showing that most interruptions affecting feeders supplying Ikeja Electric were linked to low generation rather than faults on its network.
It noted that 68 percent of interruptions recorded across feeders supplying the distribution company on November 1 and 2 were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation.
While another 26 percent were attributed to Ikeja Electric’s failure to comply with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre, or to faults and maintenance work on the distribution company’s network.
“A further 26 percent were due to IKEDC’s non-compliance with load allocation by the National Control Centre of NISO, or to faults and works on IKEDC’s own network,” it added.
The remaining six percent resulted from planned TCN maintenance, switching operations or line limitations. TCN said none of the recorded interruptions was caused by equipment failure or a trip on its network.
The company further examined 46 interruptions recorded on the 33kV feeders named in Ikeja Electric’s notice.
Of these, 29 were linked to frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation, while 14 were attributed to Ikeja Electric.
Nine resulted from non-compliance with allocated load, while five were caused by faults or trips on its distribution network.
The remaining three interruptions were linked to scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1.
The transmission network noted that Ikeja Electric’s own notice attributed several feeder interruptions, including those affecting MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to faults on its 33kV network.
It urged Ikeja Electric and other distribution companies to rely on verified information from NISO when explaining supply disruptions to customers, warning that attributing generation-related shortfalls to transmission failures could mislead consumers and obscure the actual constraints facing the electricity market.
“TCN therefore urges IKEDC and all other DisCos to desist forthwith from making unfounded claims about the causes of supply shortfalls to their customers.”
Feyishola Jaiyesimi is a writer and storyteller. She currently writes for the energy desk at BusinessDay with a focus on renewable energy and environmental issues. She began her journalism career as an agricultural reporter and now covers the energy sector, including oil, gas, electricity, environment, and renewables. She has been selected for professional training by the US Consulate, Lagos. She is a 2025 Dataphyte Biodiversity Reporting Fellow. Feyishola holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Environmental Biology from Ekiti State University.
