The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has clarified that the reported national grid collapse on Monday was actually a line tripping incident at the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s spokesperson, addressed the issue in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, countering reports that had suggested a nationwide blackout due to a grid collapse.
Mbah explained that the incident, which began around 2:47 p.m., involved a significant system surge that caused arcing at the Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard. This led to a temporary power supply disruption in some areas, but did not result in a collapse of the national grid.
“The arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV line did not lead to a grid system collapse but did affect the power supply in certain areas of the country,” Mbah clarified.
She further detailed that the issue was promptly addressed, and by 6:10 p.m. the same day, power supply was restored to the affected areas.
“Contrary to media reports, the incident did not cause a system collapse. The lines tripping started earlier at about 2:47 p.m., with a heavy system surge that led to the arcing of Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard,” Mbah said. “This resulted in a tripping at the Egbin Generating Station, causing a loss of power supply to all the Egbin Transmission Substation’s outgoing lines. The line tripping was quickly rectified, allowing the grid controller to restore full bulk power supply through the transmission lines by about 6:10 p.m.”
Earlier reports had indicated that the national grid collapsed for the fifth time in 2024, with various distribution companies (DisCos) noting their feeders became inactive, resulting in widespread blackouts.
Data from TCN’s generation trend showed a drop in the grid from 3,241 megawatts (MW) to 1,255MW within the hour, further fueling the speculation of a grid collapse.
However, TCN has firmly denied these claims, asserting that while there was a significant disruption, the integrity of the national grid was maintained and quickly restored.
