TCN REJECTS IKEDC’S ‘GRID INSTABILITY’ CLAIM, REFERS PUBLIC TO NISO’S CLARIFICATION, BLAMES LOW GENERATION FOR POWER OUTAGES By Raymond Enoch

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has challenged Ikeja Electric Distribution Company’s (IKEDC) attribution of recent electricity supply interruptions to “grid instability”, insisting that reduced power generation, rather than any failure of the national transmission network, is responsible for the declining hours of electricity supply to consumers.

TCN described IKEDC’s explanation as inaccurate and misleading, urging electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to stop assigning responsibility for supply shortfalls to the transmission company without verified technical evidence from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).

In a statement signed by its Management on November 6, 2026, TCN was responding to a public notice issued by IKEDC on November 5, which attributed several Band A feeder outages recorded on November 3 and 4 to grid instability and identified TCN as the responsible party.

The transmission company maintained that determining the root causes of disturbances, generation shortfalls and interruptions on the national grid falls within the statutory responsibilities of NISO under Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023.

According to TCN, NISO, which is responsible for the operation of the national grid, had not issued any clarification attributing the outages identified by IKEDC to a failure of TCN’s transmission infrastructure.

Rather, TCN said NISO’s public clarification of November 5 identified constraints in gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric stations, resulting from lower reservoir inflows, as the major factors behind the current decline in electricity generation.

The company explained that the reduced generation had consequently lowered the volume of electricity available for allocation to distribution companies, leading to fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across their respective networks.

It stressed that the impact varies among distribution companies, depending on available generation and their respective allocations.

Providing further details to support its position, TCN disclosed that its records of interruptions across feeders supplying IKEDC showed that 68 per cent of the outages recorded on November 1 and 2 resulted from frequency-control load shedding associated with low power generation.

Another 26 per cent, it said, were attributable to IKEDC’s failure to comply with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre (NCC), as well as faults and maintenance activities on the distribution company’s own network.

The remaining six per cent were linked to scheduled TCN maintenance, switching operations or line limitations, with none of the recorded interruptions resulting from TCN equipment failure or tripping.

TCN also challenged IKEDC’s specific claims concerning the 33kV feeders listed in its public notice, revealing that 29 out of 46 recorded interruptions resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by insufficient generation.

Fourteen other interruptions were attributed to IKEDC, comprising nine instances of non-compliance with allocated load and five cases involving faults or trips on its distribution network.

The remaining three interruptions, according to TCN, were associated with scheduled maintenance on the Ogba–Alimosho transmission line on November 1.

Citing a specific incident, the company explained that the Rack Centre feeder interruption on November 2 resulted from a cable fault on IKEDC’s network, which was subsequently repaired by the distribution company’s technical team.

It further noted that IKEDC’s own public notice had identified some affected feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, as having experienced 33kV faults attributable to the distribution company.

Against this backdrop, TCN argued that attributing electricity supply challenges arising from generation constraints to transmission network instability risks misleading consumers, weakening public confidence and diverting attention from the actual challenges confronting the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

The company urged IKEDC and other distribution companies to desist from making unsubstantiated claims about the causes of electricity supply interruptions, insisting that public communication on grid disturbances should be guided by verified information from NISO.

It also encouraged electricity consumers to consult NISO’s official communication platforms for accurate updates on developments within the national electricity market.

While expressing sympathy with customers experiencing reduced hours of electricity supply, TCN reaffirmed its commitment to transmitting all available electricity safely, reliably and efficiently within prevailing operational constraints.

It added that it would continue working with NISO, generation companies and distribution companies to address the challenges affecting electricity supply and improve service delivery to consumers.