The Transmission Company of Nigeria has refuted claims by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company that a tripped transmission line was responsible for the recent reduction in power supply to the Federal Capital Territory, attributing the shortfall instead to low generation on the national grid.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, TCN described AEDC’s explanation as inaccurate and misleading, insisting that all 330kV transmission lines serving the Abuja region remain fully operational.
The clarification follows a public notice by AEDC dated August 26, 2026, in which the distribution company informed customers that its power allocation had dropped from approximately 641MW to 314MW. AEDC had attributed the decline to the alleged tripping of transmission lines supplying Abuja from the Shiroro Transmission Substation.
Contrary to AEDC’s claim, TCN stated that no such tripping of the 330kV transmission lines supplying the Abuja axis has occurred. The company emphasised that all transmission lines within the Abuja Region are currently in circuit and functioning as expected.
TCN explained that the reduction in AEDC’s allocation was a direct consequence of low electricity generation on the national grid, not a failure of transmission infrastructure. The company stressed that the load shedding experienced across AEDC’s feeders cannot be attributed to transmission line tripping.
TCN used the opportunity to stress the importance of accurate and clear information dissemination, urging power sector stakeholders to verify facts before issuing public statements that could mislead consumers.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to efficiently transmitting available bulk electricity across Nigeria while maintaining the stability, reliability, and integrity of the national transmission grid.
The dispute comes amid ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, including recent grid instability and reduced output from several generating plants. The national grid experienced a partial collapse on August 23, with generation dropping to as low as 1,132MW, forcing distribution companies to implement load shedding across their networks.
Discussion about this post