The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has refuted claims that the National Grid collapsed again on Monday (yesterday, August 5), clarifying that the incident involved only a line tripping at the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator, according to Ndidi Mbah, the company’s spokesperson, in a statement issued earlier today (Tuesday, August 6), in Abuja.
Some media outlets had reported the National Electricity Grid collapsed again yesterday, resulting in a nationwide blackout.
However, Mbah explained that the arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV line did not cause a grid system collapse but did affect power supply in some areas of the country.
Mbah stated that the line tripping occurred around 2:47 p.m. on Monday due to a significant system surge, which led to arcing of the Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard. The issue was resolved, and power supply was restored to the substation.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby notes that at about 6:10 p.m. yesterday, 5th August 2024, power supply was restored to areas affected by the arcing on the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator which caused lines tripping and consequent loss of supply to some areas. However, contrary to media reports, the incident did not cause a system collapse. The lines tripping started earlier at about 2:47 p.m. yesterday, with a heavy system surge that led to the arcing of Benin–Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard. This resulted in a tripping at the Egbin Generating Station, causing the loss of power supply to all the Egbin Transmission Substation’s outgoing lines. The line tripping was quickly rectified, enabling the grid controller to restore full bulk power supply through the transmission lines at about 6:10 p.m. yesterday,” she said.
Reports had indicated that the National Grid collapsed for the fifth time in 2024, with various distribution companies (DisCos) stating that their feeders became inactive, leading to widespread blackouts across the country.
Data from TCN’s generation trend showed that the grid dropped from 3,241 megawatts (MW) to 1,255MW within the hour. However, TCN clarified that the grid did not collapse.
