TCN rejects IKEDC's attribution of Band A outages to grid instability

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disputed Ikeja Electric’s (IKEDC) claim that outages affecting several Band A feeders on November 3 and 4, 2026, were caused by “grid instability” and were TCN’s responsibility.

In a statement responding to IKEDC’s public notice, published on November 5, TCN said the attribution was inaccurate and misleading. It argued that, under Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, determining the causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid is the responsibility of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), not distribution companies.

TCN said NISO had not attributed the outages to the transmission company. In a clarification issued November 5, NISO said reduced power generation was due to constraints in gas supply to thermal power stations and lower output from hydroelectric stations amid reduced reservoir inflows. The resulting drop in available generation reduced allocations to distribution companies, leading to shorter supply hours and increased load shedding, NISO said.

According to TCN, the reduced supply to IKEDC customers resulted from lower generation and the corresponding allocation, rather than a failure of TCN’s transmission network. The company said it could transmit only the energy made available to it.

TCN also cited interruption records for feeders supplying IKEDC. It said that, of outages recorded on November 1 and 2, 68% were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation. Another 26% were linked to IKEDC’s non-compliance with load allocations set by NISO’s National Control Centre, or to faults and maintenance on IKEDC’s network. The remaining 6% involved TCN maintenance, switching or line limitations. TCN said none of the recorded interruptions resulted from a fault or trip involving its equipment.

For the 33kV feeders named in IKEDC’s notice, TCN said 29 of 46 interruptions were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation, while 14 were recorded against IKEDC—nine for non-compliance with load allocations and five for faults or trips on its network. The remaining three involved scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba–Alimosho line on November 1.

TCN cited the Rack Centre feeder as an example, saying it was interrupted on November 2 by a cable fault on IKEDC’s network that the company’s crew repaired. It added that IKEDC’s notice itself assigned several feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to IKEDC for 33kV faults.

TCN said attributing supply shortfalls caused by generation constraints to the transmission company could misinform customers, undermine public confidence and obscure the sector’s underlying challenges. It urged IKEDC and other distribution companies to avoid making unsupported claims and to base customer communications on verified information from NISO.