Strike Action: Labour shuts down national grid

By Innocent Raphael

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that the Labour Union has shut down the national grid, resulting in a nationwide blackout.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:19 a.m. on June 3, 2024, according to a statement by TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.

Earlier, at around 1:15 a.m., the Benin Transmission Operator under TCN’s Independent System Operations unit reported that union members had forcibly removed operators from the control room. Staff who resisted were beaten, with some sustaining injuries. As a result, the Benin Area Control Center was rendered inoperative.

In addition to Benin, the Labour Union also reportedly shut down several other transmission substations, including Ganmo, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo. Various transmission lines were also opened due to the union’s actions.

TCN also revealed that on the power generation side, several units at different generating stations were forced to shut down. Notably, the Jebba Generating Station had to shut down one of its units, and three additional units subsequently went offline due to very high frequency, contributing to system instability.

According to the statement, the sudden forced load cuts caused high frequency and system instability, ultimately leading to the national grid shutdown at 2:19 a.m.

Efforts to restore the grid began at around 3:23 a.m., with TCN attempting to use the Shiroro Substation to feed electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. However, recovery efforts are being hampered by continued obstruction from the Labour Union.

The TCN has assured the public that efforts are ongoing to stabilize and restore the national grid despite the challenges posed by the ongoing labour union activities.