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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has released a statement addressing the recent power outage caused by an arcing incident on the Benin-Egbin 330kV isolator at the Egbin Transmission Substation. Contrary to media reports that the national grid collapsed yesterday, TCN asserted that the incident did not result in a system collapse.

According to the statement, the incident occurred at approximately 2:47 pm on August 5, 2024, when a heavy system surge led to the arcing of the Benin-Egbin 330kV line isolator fingers at the Egbin Transmission Substation switchyard.

This caused a tripping at the Egbin Generating Station, resulting in the loss of power supply to all outgoing lines from the Egbin Transmission Substations, TCN said.

The transmission company noted that the arcing incident led to an exponential increase in load on the Osogbo-Ihovbor 330kV line 1, causing serious arcing of isolator terminals, explaining that to prevent further disruption, the Osogbo-Ihovbor 330kV line was temporarily opened to cut off electricity flow.

The TCN further explained that at 2:56 pm, the Benin-Egbin 330kV line 1 Circuit Breaker tripped at the Benin Transmission Substation end, resulting in power loss to the Lagos axis, parts of the South West Region, parts of the North Central, and Abuja.

However, other areas, including the South Eastern region, North East, and parts of North Central and South West, maintained full power supply, the TCN stated.

TCN’s grid controller was said to have quickly rectified the issue, restoring full bulk power supply through the transmission lines at approximately 6:10 pm on August 5, 2024.

Ndidi Mbah, General Manager of Public Affairs of TCN who signed the statement, emphasized that the incident was promptly addressed, and the grid remained stable throughout.

The statement has clarified the events surrounding the arcing incident and reassured the public of TCN’s commitment to maintaining a reliable power supply.