Abuja, June 3, 2024 – The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that the national grid was deliberately shut down by the Labour Union, resulting in a nationwide blackout. The shutdown occurred at approximately 2:19 a.m. on June 3, 2024.
According to a statement from TCN, the incident began around 1:15 a.m. when operators at the Benin Transmission Office, under the Independent System Operations unit of TCN, were forcibly removed from the control room. Staff members who resisted were reportedly beaten and injured, leading to the complete shutdown of the Benin Area Control Center.
The Labour Union also targeted and shut down several other key transmission substations, including Ganmo, Benin, Ayede, Olorunsogo, Akangba, and Osogbo. In addition, several transmission lines were opened, exacerbating the disruption.
On the generation side, power units from various stations were forced offline. At the Jebba Generating Station, one unit was shut down, and three additional units followed due to high frequency instability. These sudden load cuts and resulting instability culminated in the national grid’s shutdown at 2:19 a.m.
Efforts to restore the grid began at 3:23 a.m. with attempts to use the Shiroro Substation to supply electricity to the Katampe Transmission Substation. However, the Labour Union continues to impede the grid recovery process nationwide.
TCN is actively working to recover and stabilize the grid to restore normal bulk electricity transmission to distribution centers across the country. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops
