In a recent statement, the General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, has confirmed that the national grid did not collapse on Monday.
Reports had initially suggested a collapse of the national grid on Monday at approximately 2:47 p.m., leading to a widespread blackout across the country.
However, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) clarified that the incident was due to arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator, causing a line tripping and subsequent power loss to specific regions at the mentioned time.
The areas affected included the Lagos axis, parts of the South West Region, parts of the North Central, and Abuja, while other regions such as the South Eastern region, North East, and other parts of North Central and South West, maintained full power supply.
TCN worked swiftly to restore bulk power to the affected regions by 6:10 p.m. on Monday, preventing a widespread system collapse from occurring.
The incident originated from heavy system surges on the Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard, leading to subsequent tripping and power loss at the Egbin Generating Station and the outgoing lines of the Egbin Transmission Substation.
Additional complications arose on the Osogbo-Ihovbor 330kV line 1, prompting temporary interruptions to prevent further grid disruptions.
By addressing the various technical challenges and promptly rectifying the line tripping issues, TCN successfully restored full bulk power supply, ensuring grid stability and minimizing the impact of the incident.
TCN also reported that the national grid has faced 227 collapses between 2010 and April 2024, highlighting the ongoing challenges in maintaining a reliable power system in the country.