Electricity workers have shut down the National Grid as the strike action called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) began at midnight.
Data from the Independent System Operator revealed that power generation, which stood at 2,805.59 megawatts at midnight, had plummeted to 28 MW by 6 a.m. on Monday, with only Ibom Power remaining on the grid.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) responded to the shutdown, disclosing that union members had forcibly removed its workers from their stations. TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, issued a statement detailing the events.
“TCN hereby informs the general public that the Labour Union has shut down the national grid, resulting in a nationwide blackout. The grid shutdown occurred at approximately 2:19 a.m. this morning, June 3, 2024,” Mbah stated.
“At around 1:15 a.m., the Benin Transmission Operator, under the Independent System Operations unit of TCN, reported that all operators were driven away from the control room. Staff who resisted were beaten, and some were injured. As a result, the Benin Area Control Centre was brought to zero without any supervision.
“Other transmission substations shut down by the Labour Union include Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo Transmission Substations. Some transmission lines were also opened due to the ongoing activities of the union.
“On the power generation side, units at various generating stations were forced to shut down. Jebba Generating Station had to shut down one of its units, while three others at the same substation shut down due to high frequency. The sudden forced load cuts caused high frequency and system instability, leading to the national grid shutdown at 2:19 a.m.
“However, at about 3:23 a.m., TCN commenced grid recovery efforts using the Shiroro Substation to supply bulk electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. Despite these efforts, the labour union continues to obstruct grid recovery nationwide.
“We will continue our efforts to recover and stabilize the grid to restore normal bulk transmission of electricity to distribution load centres nationwide,” Mbah added.
