Millions in Northern Nigeria Face Seven Hour Blackout as TCN Shuts Down Critical Transmission Line
By Aboki Forex —
Millions of electricity consumers across Northern Nigeria will experience a temporary blackout on Thursday after the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced a seven hour shutdown of a critical transmission line for emergency maintenance.
The planned outage affects Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi and Yobe states. Communities in neighbouring Niger Republic that rely on electricity supplied through Nigeria’s national grid will also face disruptions.
TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah said the interruption is necessary to allow engineers to carry out urgent maintenance on the Mando-Kumbotso 330kV transmission line. That line is one of the major power corridors serving the North West and parts of the North East.
The maintenance involves replacing and adjusting a damaged Red Phase Conductor on Tower T187 along the transmission route. TCN stated that the outage is required to enable its maintenance crew to fix the conductor.
As a result, the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) will temporarily lose supply from the national grid. This affects electricity distribution across Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states. Parts of Bauchi and Yobe states will also experience power interruptions. The town of Gazaoua in the Republic of Niger, which receives electricity through Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure, will be impacted.
The exercise is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m., creating a seven hour disruption. TCN assured consumers that the work is necessary to improve system reliability but did not specify how quickly normal supply would be restored after maintenance.
The announcement comes as Nigeria’s power sector faces heightened public scrutiny. The newly appointed Minister of Power recently promised Nigerians would see measurable improvements in electricity supply within 14 days. He acknowledged challenges including ageing infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks, vandalism and inadequate generation capacity, but promised immediate interventions.
Industry experts argue that routine maintenance is essential for preventing more serious technical failures. Power systems analyst Bashiru Yakubu said scheduled maintenance, although inconvenient, is preferable to unexpected breakdowns that can leave entire regions without electricity for extended periods.
“The challenge is not necessarily the maintenance itself, but ensuring that such interventions are communicated effectively and completed within schedule. Consumers are more concerned about whether power will return immediately after the exercise,” he said.
The outage is expected to affect commercial activities in Kano, one of Nigeria’s largest economic centres. Small manufacturers, ICT hubs, cold room operators, welders and other electricity dependent businesses may be forced to rely on generators, increasing operational costs. Residents have also expressed concerns as soaring temperatures across many northern states continue to drive demand for cooling systems and refrigeration.
Despite the inconvenience, TCN maintains that the maintenance exercise is necessary to strengthen the reliability and safety of power transmission infrastructure. For many consumers, the key question remains whether electricity will return as scheduled and whether the government’s promised improvements in power supply will soon become visible.