The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has successfully restored the national power grid following a disruptive system disturbance attributed to gas supply limitations.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, March 28 at 4:20 pm, led to a complete collapse of the grid, with full recovery achieved by 10:00 pm the same day.
In an official statement released on Friday, TCN revealed that the disturbance was triggered by a significant reduction in generation capacity due to gas constraints, resulting in a rapid decline in system frequency and an imbalance in the grid’s stability.
The situation worsened with the unexpected failure of Egbin generation’s turbine 3, causing an additional loss of 167MW load and further exacerbating the collapse.
Earlier reports indicated that the central management hub in Osogbo, Osun State, witnessed the grid’s collapse at 4:30 pm, affecting power supply to millions of homes and businesses nationwide. Various distribution companies reported inactive feeders, leading to widespread blackouts.
According to TCN, the grid’s failure caused a drastic drop in power generation from 2,984 megawatts (MW) to zero within an hour, resulting in all 21 connected plants halting operations by 5:00 pm.
Additionally, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) confirmed the national blackout, further compounding the impact of the grid collapse.
TCN reassured the public that the grid has been stabilized, with all generated power being transmitted to distribution load centres across the country.
