“You have no authority,” TCN rejects Ikeja Electric’s claim that grid instability caused ‘Band A’ power outages

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has accused Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) of misleading customers by attributing recent Band A feeder outages to grid instability and blaming the transmission company.

In a statement on Friday, the TCN described the DisCo’s attribution as inaccurate and misleading, insisting that reduced electricity generation was responsible for the decline in supply, rather than a failure of its transmission network.

The TCN said Ikeja Electric published a public notice on November 5, attributing several Band A feeder outages recorded on November 3 and 4 to grid instability.

“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 Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO),” the TCN said.

“IKEDC, like every other market participant, has no authority to make such determinations, and NISO has made none attributing the outages in IKEDC’s notice to TCN.”

TCN referred electricity consumers to a clarification issued by NISO on November 5, which attributed the decline in power generation to gas supply constraints at thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric stations.

The TCN said the operator linked the lower hydroelectric output to reduced reservoir inflows, while the gas constraints affected the amount of electricity thermal plants could generate.

“NISO explained that this reduced available generation, which in turn reduced the energy allocated to DisCos and led to fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across distribution networks,” TCN said.

“The impact on each DisCo varies with available generation and its allocation.”

The company said the shortfall in electricity supply to Ikeja Electric’s customers resulted from lower generation and the resulting reduction in allocations, rather than any failure of its transmission network.

“TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” the statement reads.

According to the TCN, about 68 percent of interruptions recorded on November 1 and November 2 resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation.

“A further 26% were due to IKEDC’s non-compliance with load allocation by the National Control Centre (NCC) of NISO, or to faults and works on IKEDC’s own network,” the statement reads.

The company said the remaining 6 percent resulted from its planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.

“None of the recorded interruptions was a TCN equipment fault or trip,” the statement further reads.

For the 33kV feeders listed in Ikeja Electric’s notice, the TCN said 29 of the 46 recorded interruptions resulted from frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation.

The company attributed another 14 interruptions to Ikeja Electric, comprising nine cases of non-compliance with load allocation and five faults or trips on the distributor’s network.

The TCN said the remaining three interruptions resulted from its scheduled maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1.

“On 2 November, for example, the Rack Centre feeder was interrupted by a cable fault on IKEDC’s network, which its own crew repaired,” the TCN said.

It also noted that Ikeja Electric’s notice assigned several feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to the distributor under the designation “IE” for 33kV faults.

TCN said Ikeja Electric’s position was “out of step with the true state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry”.

“Attributing shortfalls caused by generation constraints to TCN misinforms customers, undermines public confidence and obscures the real challenges that all stakeholders must work together to resolve,” TCN said.

The transmission company urged Ikeja Electric and other distribution companies to stop making “unfounded claims” about the causes of electricity supply shortfalls.

The organisation also advised electricity consumers to consult NISO’s official platforms for accurate information on the state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

TCN sympathised with customers affected by reduced hours of electricity supply, saying it remains committed to transmitting all available energy safely, reliably, and efficiently despite prevailing operational constraints.

TCN said it would continue working with NISO, generation and distribution companies to improve electricity supply.