The Nigerian government reported that the national grid collapse on Saturday resulted from an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 8:15 AM.
This information was revealed in a statement issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
This incident marked the third shutdown of the grid within the past week.
In response, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) reported that as of 1:00 PM on Saturday, bulk power supply had been largely restored in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
NERC expressed concern over the recent rise in grid disturbances, which have led to significant outages in various states, reversing many of the improvements made in addressing infrastructure deficits and enhancing grid stability.
Preliminary reports on the disturbance that occurred that morning indicated that the outage was caused by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 8:15 AM, which triggered a chain reaction of power plant shutdowns due to the loss of load.
Efforts to restore power supply have made progress, with significant restoration achieved by 1:00 PM in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Commission further noted that, in accordance with the Electricity Act of 2023, the process of separating the System Operator from the Transmission Company of Nigeria is underway.
“This separation of the System Operator function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is expected to promote greater discipline in grid management and optimize investments in infrastructure.”
NERC committed to holding an investigative hearing to seek a permanent solution to the issues affecting the national grid.
“To address the challenges facing the national grid, the Commission will soon conduct a public hearing to identify both immediate and underlying causes of the frequent grid disturbances and widespread outages.
“The date and location of the public hearing will be announced soon in national newspapers, and stakeholders are encouraged to take part.”
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) agreed with NERC regarding the cause of Saturday’s grid collapse.
TCN also announced that power supply has been fully restored.
In a statement from TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah, it was reported that the bus section of a current transformer exploded at the 330kV Jebba Transmission Substation.
The protection system was activated as anticipated, quickly opening the busbars to contain the explosion and prevent a fire and additional damage to surrounding equipment.
The activation of the protection system caused a temporary disturbance in the grid.
It is important to note that the national grid has collapsed three times in the past week. While restoring the grid following Monday’s collapse, another disturbance occurred.
This year, the national grid has experienced at least eight collapses.
