The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has accused Ikeja Electric of misleading electricity customers over the causes of recent power outages in parts of Lagos, insisting that reduced electricity generation and faults within the distribution company’s network were responsible for most of the interruptions.
TCN, in a statement responding to Ikeja Electric’s public notice of November 5, 2026, disputed the distribution company’s attribution of several Band A feeder outages recorded on November 3 and 4 to grid instability.
The transmission company maintained that the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), rather than electricity distribution companies (DisCos), is responsible for determining the causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid.
According to TCN, NISO had not attributed the outages identified in Ikeja Electric’s notice to any failure of the transmission network.
Instead, the system operator had linked the recent decline in electricity generation to gas supply constraints affecting thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric plants due to lower water inflows into reservoirs.
TCN explained that the generation constraints reduced the volume of electricity available for allocation to distribution companies, resulting in fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across their networks.
The company cited Section 67 of the Electricity Act 2023, arguing that determining the root causes of disturbances, shortfalls and interruptions on the national grid falls within NISO’s statutory functions.
“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.
The transmission company added that its responsibility was limited to transmitting electricity generated and made available to it.
“TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” it said.
To support its position, TCN presented interruption records for feeders supplying Ikeja Electric, showing that 68 per cent of interruptions recorded on November 1 and 2 resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation.
Another 26 per cent were attributed to Ikeja Electric’s alleged non-compliance with load allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre (NCC), alongside faults and maintenance work on the distribution company’s network.
The remaining six per cent involved TCN-planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations. The company maintained that none of the recorded interruptions resulted from equipment faults or trips on its transmission network.
For the 33kV feeders specifically identified in Ikeja Electric’s public notice, TCN examined 46 recorded interruptions and attributed 29 to frequency-control load shedding arising from low generation.
It linked another 14 interruptions to Ikeja Electric, comprising nine cases of non-compliance with load allocations and five faults or trips on the distribution company’s network. The remaining three were associated with scheduled maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line on November 1.
TCN also cited the Rack Centre feeder interruption recorded on November 2, which it said resulted from a cable fault on Ikeja Electric’s network and was subsequently repaired by the distribution company’s technical team.
The transmission company further noted that Ikeja Electric’s own notice had identified faults involving some feeders, including MTN, Iju Water Works and Rack Centre, as falling within its distribution network.
However, the records TCN presented cover November 1 and 2, while the Ikeja Electric notice under dispute concerned outages recorded on November 3 and 4, a difference in reporting periods that requires clarification.
TCN warned that attributing electricity supply shortfalls caused by generation constraints to transmission network failures could misinform consumers and undermine public confidence in the electricity market.
“IKEDC’s position is therefore out of step with the true state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. Attributing shortfalls caused by generation constraints to TCN misinforms customers, undermines public confidence and obscures the real challenges that all stakeholders must work together to resolve,” the company stated.
It urged Ikeja Electric and other distribution companies to avoid making claims about the causes of electricity supply disruptions without verified information from NISO.
The disagreement comes amid persistent electricity supply constraints across Nigeria, with gas supply limitations affecting thermal power stations and reduced hydroelectric output further restricting generation.
The dispute also highlights the communication challenges facing electricity distribution companies as consumers contend with reduced supply hours, particularly customers on Band A feeders who pay higher tariffs in exchange for a minimum daily electricity supply commitment.
TCN said it sympathised with affected electricity consumers and remained committed to transmitting all available power safely and efficiently despite prevailing operational constraints.
It added that it would continue working with NISO, generation companies and distribution companies to improve electricity supply across the country.
