Blackout: National grid system now fully restored, says TCN  

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the full restoration of the national grid after a system failure earlier today caused a nationwide blackout.

TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mba, on Saturday, attributed the grid failure to an explosion at a transformer in the Jebba Transmission Substation, which triggered the activation of the protection system.

Mba added that following the incident, the commission’s team of engineers conducted a switching operation, leading to the complete restoration of the electricity supply.

What TCN is Saying 

The statement from the company read:  

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that the national grid experienced a temporary disturbance at about 8:15 am, today, 19th Oct. 2024. 

“According to the report from the NCC, the bus section of a current transformer exploded at 330kV Jebba Transmission Substation and as expected, the protection system was activated, and this promptly opened the busbars to curtail the explosion, thereby preventing the outbreak of fire and further damage to adjacent equipment. 

“The action of the protection system led to a temporary disturbance on the grid. 

“Our engineers at Jebba have successfully carried out switchings, isolating the faulty current transformer. They have equally reconfigured the busbar arrangement, restoring power supply to the station, and other parts of the grid.” 

What you should know  

Nairametrics previously reported that the national grid has collapsed for the third time in less than a week, plunging the nation into yet another major blackout.

The grid, which has faced repeated disruptions over the past few days, was only restored two days ago before suffering another failure on Saturday. This series of interruptions has raised concerns about the stability of the power infrastructure and its impact on businesses and households across the country.

As of 9 a.m. today, Nairametrics’ checks confirmed that the grid was transmitting zero megawatts to the eleven distribution companies (DisCos) responsible for supplying electricity nationwide, leaving millions without power.

This latest collapse marks the eighth grid failure recorded in 2024, with three of these incidents occurring within just the past week, further amplifying worries about the grid’s reliability and the need for urgent reforms in the power sector.