TRANSMISSION COMPANY OF NIGERIA (TCN) SET TO INVESTIGATE CAUSES BEHIND FREQUENT COLLAPSE OF NATIONAL GRID
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has signaled its intention to probe the causes behind the tripping of the Sapele Steam and Egbin power-generating units. This follows the recent announcement by the organization that the national grid has been fully restored after a partial disruption around 11:21 a.m. on Sunday.
In a statement released in Abuja on Sunday, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of Public Affairs, mentioned that the company promptly initiated the restoration process for the affected portion of the grid.
Mbah emphasized that before the incident, the total generation on the grid was 3,901.25 Mega Watts (MW) at 8 a.m., a little over three hours before the partial collapse.
She highlighted the persistent low power generation since January, worsening daily due to the ongoing gas constraint.
According to the National Control Centre (NCC), data from the Internet of Things (IoT) showed that just before the partial disturbance, which occurred at Sapele, Steam, and Egbin Substations, there was a loss of 29.32MW and 343.84MW at 11:20:14 hrs and 11:20:17 hrs, respectively, totaling 373.16MW.
The statement read, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that the grid experienced a partial disturbance at about 11:21hrs with Ibom power islanded feeding Eket, Ekim, Itu, and Uyo transmission substations, during the period of partial disturbance.
“This, combined with the current low power generation due to gas constraints, caused the imbalance leading to the partial system disturbance.
“Gas constraints continue to impact grid flexibility and stability. Ensuring sufficient gas supply to power generating stations is crucial for grid stability.”
Mbah emphasized that having adequate generation capacity enables improved grid management during unexpected generation losses like the one experienced.
Earlier, Techeconomy reported the collapse of the national grid yesterday around 11:21 am in a statement from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
News Source: Techeconomy
