TCN restores power to Benin-Egbin 330kV transmission line

By Obas Esiedesa

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 its environs earlier in the day.

The company, however, disclosed that efforts were still ongoing 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 quickly spread across the Lagos transmission corridor.

According to the statement, the disturbance resulted in the loss of some generating stations, transmission line outages and a subsequent interruption of electricity supply to Lagos and surrounding areas.

TCN explained that the National Control Centre immediately directed several power generating companies to reduce their output to contain a rise in system frequency, stabilize the grid and prevent a wider disruption.

The company stated 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 steps.

“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 combined team of engineers from TCN’s Benin and Omotoso sub-regions was working to rectify 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 Benin and Omotoso subregions 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 stabilize and strengthen the national grid, with the aim of minimising such recurrence,” the statement added.

TCN urged affected consumers to remain patient while restoration work continues on the Benin–Omotoso transmission line, promising to provide updates as progress is made.