TCN says grid collapse restored

Omeiza Bilal

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Monday, explained that the fire incident that occurred at Afam power generating station in River State was responsible for the sixth national grid collapse the country recorded in 2024.

The grid had collapsed around 2:42 am on Monday, with generation dropping to 64.70 megawatts (MWs).

Data from the Independent System Operator (ISO), a branch of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) showed that only one generation company, Ibom Power, was active.

The development came barely two weeks, Thursday, 28 March after the grid suffered what the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) described as grid disturbance, leading to blackout in most parts of the country as confirmed by DisCos who took to their social media pages to appeal to their customers for patience and understanding.

However, TCN in a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ms Ndidi Mbah, announced the full restoration of the national grid following a fire incident at the Afam power generating station, which caused a partial disturbance of the nation’s grid.

The company explained that at 02:41Hrs on Monday, a fire erupted at the Afam V 330kV bus bar coupler, leading to the tripping of units at Afam III and Afam VI.

“It resulted in a sudden generation loss of 25MW and 305MW respectively, destabilizing the grid and causing a partial collapse. During the incident, the Ibom Power plant was isolated from the grid and was supplying parts of the Port Harcourt Region.

“This further minimized the effect of the system disturbance. TCN confirms that the affected section of the grid has been fully restored and stabilized. TCN reaffirms its commitment to enhancing the resilience and reliability of the national grid and pledges to continue investing in measures aimed at strengthening the grid infrastructure.”