The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has rejected claims by Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) that outages affecting several Band A feeders on November 3 and 4, 2026, were caused by grid instability, describing the attribution to the transmission company as inaccurate and misleading.
In a statement signed by its management on November 6, 2026, TCN urged electricity consumers to rely on clarifications issued by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) regarding the recent decline in power supply.
The company maintained that, under Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, determining the root causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid falls within NISO’s statutory responsibilities, not those of electricity distribution companies.
TCN said NISO had not attributed the outages cited by IKEDC to any failure of its transmission network.
According to the transmission company, NISO’s November 5 clarification identified gas supply constraints affecting thermal power plants and reduced output from hydroelectric stations due to lower reservoir inflows as the major factors behind the decline in electricity generation.
It explained that the reduced generation had affected the quantity of electricity available for distribution companies, resulting in fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across distribution networks.
TCN insisted that the supply shortfall experienced by IKEDC customers was a consequence of reduced electricity generation and the resulting allocations, rather than any failure of its transmission infrastructure.
Providing details of its operational records, the company said 68 per cent of interruptions recorded across feeders supplying IKEDC on November 1 and 2 were frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation.
It added that 26 per cent resulted from IKEDC’s alleged failure to comply with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre, as well as faults and maintenance work on the distribution company’s network.
The remaining six per cent, according to TCN, were linked to its planned maintenance, switching operations and line limitations, with none of the recorded interruptions resulting from TCN equipment faults or trips.
Focusing on the 33kV feeders listed in IKEDC’s public notice, TCN said 29 out of 46 recorded interruptions were caused by frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation.
Fourteen other interruptions were attributed to IKEDC, comprising nine cases of non-compliance with load allocations and five faults or trips on its own network.
The remaining three interruptions, TCN said, were linked to scheduled maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho transmission line on November 1.
The company also cited the Rack Centre feeder as an example, saying its interruption on November 2 resulted from a cable fault on IKEDC’s network, which was subsequently repaired by the distribution company’s personnel.
TCN further noted that IKEDC’s own notice had attributed faults on some feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to its distribution network.
It accused the distribution company of misrepresenting the causes of power interruptions, warning that attributing generation-related shortages to transmission failures could mislead electricity consumers, undermine public confidence and distract from the actual challenges confronting the electricity sector.
The transmission company consequently called on IKEDC and other distribution companies to stop making unverified claims about the causes of electricity supply disruptions and to base public communications on information provided by NISO.
It also advised electricity consumers to consult NISO’s official communication platforms for accurate updates on developments within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
While expressing sympathy with customers affected by the reduced hours of electricity supply, TCN reaffirmed its commitment to transmitting all available power safely and efficiently, despite prevailing operational constraints.
The company also pledged continued collaboration with NISO, generation companies and distribution companies to improve electricity supply across the country.