TCN Faults Ikeja Electric Over Lagos Feeder Outages, Says Grid Not to Blame

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has accused Ikeja Electric of misleading customers by blaming recent feeder outages in parts of Lagos on grid instability. TCN said the disruptions were largely caused by reduced power generation and faults on the distribution company’s own network.

TCN was responding to Ikeja Electric’s public notice of November 5, 2026, which attributed several Band A feeder outages on November 3 and 4 to the transmission network. TCN disputed that account.

NISO has the final say on grid causes

TCN said the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), not distribution companies, is responsible for determining the causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid. It added that NISO had not attributed the outages cited by Ikeja Electric to a failure of TCN’s network.

It cited Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023. “By virtue of Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, the determination of the root cause of disturbances, shortfalls and interruptions on the national grid falls exclusively within the defined functions of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO),” TCN stated.

TCN said NISO had already explained that the recent decline in electricity supply came from gas supply constraints affecting thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric stations due to lower water inflows into reservoirs. The lower generation cut the electricity available for allocation to DisCos, leading to fewer supply hours and increased load shedding.

TCN maintained that it can only transmit electricity that is generated and made available to it. It said it cannot transmit power that is not produced.

TCN releases feeder interruption records

TCN cited interruption records for feeders supplying Ikeja Electric. For November 1 and 2, it said 68% of interruptions resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation. Another 26% were linked to Ikeja Electric’s failure to comply with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre (NCC), or to faults and maintenance work on the DisCo’s network. The remaining 6% involved TCN-planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations. TCN said none of the recorded interruptions was caused by a fault or trip on its equipment.

It also examined 46 interruptions recorded on the 33kV feeders listed in Ikeja Electric’s notice. It said 29 were caused by frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation, while 14 were attributed to the distribution company. TCN said: “Of the 46 interruptions recorded on the 33kV feeders named in the notice, 29 were frequency-control load-shedding arising from low generation, and 14 were recorded against IKEDC: 9 for non-compliance with load allocation and 5 for faults or trips on its own network.”

The remaining three were scheduled TCN maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1. TCN also cited the Rack Centre feeder interruption on November 2, which it said resulted from a cable fault on Ikeja Electric’s network and was repaired by the DisCo’s crew. It noted that Ikeja Electric’s own notice assigned some feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, to the company for 33kV faults.

DisCos warned against unverified claims

TCN urged Ikeja Electric and other DisCos to avoid making claims about the causes of supply disruptions without verified information from NISO. It advised electricity customers to consult NISO’s official platforms for updates on the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. TCN said it sympathised with affected customers and remained committed to transmitting available electricity safely and reliably, while working with NISO, generation companies and DisCos to improve supply.

The dispute follows earlier outages in Lagos and Abuja. Ikeja Electric and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had attributed outages in their areas to reduced power allocation from the national grid and technical faults. Ikeja Electric, which distributes electricity across parts of Lagos including Ikeja and surrounding communities, said constraints in the amount allocated to its network limited the power available for distribution, resulting in fewer supply hours for customers.