General News
TCN Goes Digital on Grid Monitoring, Records 3,714 Outages in July
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has launched a digital platform to track electricity outages and load performance across the national transmission network, as the company moves to improve grid reliability and accountability.
The Load & Outage Analytics platform, developed by TCN’s Operations Department, was unveiled at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.
The platform is designed to replace the manual compilation of outage reports from different regions with a centralised system capable of processing network data and producing performance reports within minutes.
At the launch, TCN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, represented by the General Manager, Project Coordination, Engr. Aminu Tahir, commended the Operations Department for developing the system internally.
Abdulaziz said the technology had improved the company’s visibility into transmission operations, although it had not yet been deployed across the entire network.
He said technical and economic losses remained major challenges, stressing that better load management, supply-and-demand analysis and maintenance were necessary to improve grid stability.
Manual Reporting System Replaced
The General Manager, Operations, Engr. Godwin Afamefuna Aguiyi, said the platform was developed to address weaknesses in TCN’s previous reliability-reporting system.
According to him, outage information was previously maintained in separate spreadsheets by different regions, making it difficult to obtain accurate national performance assessments quickly.
He said the new application provides a centralised mechanism for processing and analysing the information.
The Streamlit-based platform contains 13 modules covering regions, transmission stations, transformers and feeders.
It can classify outages automatically and generate reliability indicators and management reports within minutes.
The system also includes role-based access, structured data uploads and audit trails.
Aguiyi said individual staff identification would replace shared logins and unmanaged spreadsheet access, allowing operational activities to be traced more effectively.
48,603 MWh of Lost Load
During a demonstration using July 2026 outage data, Aguiyi said TCN’s regional submissions showed 3,714 outages across the country, resulting in 48,603 MWh of lost load.
The Lagos area accounted for 20,693 MWh of lost load, comprising 572 emergency outages, 306 forced outages and 129 scheduled outages.
The analysis also identified 22 feeders that exceeded permissible outage hours, with associated losses estimated at ₦720.33 million.
Aguiyi cited the Obosi feeder in Onitsha, which recorded 1,063.74 MWh of lost load at Band A rates.
He noted that the feeder-level data covered areas within TCN’s responsibility and excluded interruptions attributable to electricity distribution companies.
Platform Tracks Fault Responsibility
Another feature of the platform is the Fault Attribution Ratio, which is designed to assist in determining whether an outage is attributable to TCN or a Distribution Company (DisCo).
Aguiyi said the applicable Service Level Agreement provides for a 30 per cent downtime liability for TCN and 70 per cent for DisCos.
He explained, however, that responsibility for individual outages would depend on the specific cause and the section of the network affected.
The system could also be used to monitor transmission losses if adequate energy-measurement equipment is installed throughout the network.
TCN Seeks IoT Integration
Aguiyi recommended nationwide deployment of the platform and its integration with Internet of Things (IoT) technology to facilitate real-time data collection.
He also called for improved network connectivity and display systems at transmission stations.
The Executive Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Mrs Abiodun Afolabi-Fadahunsi, said engineers and system operators must have access to appropriate tools and instruments to maintain grid stability.
She assured technical personnel of management’s continued support and said TCN was monitoring daily grid reports while responding to operational needs.
With the launch, TCN is seeking to move outage monitoring from fragmented manual reporting to a more centralised digital system capable of providing faster data analysis, identifying network weaknesses and improving accountability across the transmission system.