AEDC makes further clarifications on Abuja power outage amid clash with TCN

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has announced the restoration of normal power supply to Abuja and other parts of its franchise area, following the resolution of what it described as technical issues on transmission lines from the Shiroro Transmission Station.

The announcement comes amid a dispute between AEDC and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over the cause of the recent reduction in electricity supply to the Federal Capital Territory.

AEDC had earlier said its power allocation dropped from about 641 megawatts to 314 megawatts, attributing the development to the tripping of 330kV transmission lines supplying Abuja from Shiroro.

However, TCN rejected the claim, describing it as “inaccurate and misleading.” The transmission company said the 330kV lines supplying Abuja were in service and attributed the reduction in electricity supply to low power generation on the national grid.

TCN maintained that there was no transmission failure responsible for the reduced allocation to AEDC.

In its latest public announcement dated August 27, AEDC said the situation had now been resolved.

“We are pleased to inform you that the transmission constraints affecting power supply to Abuja and other parts of our franchise area have been fully resolved,” AEDC said.

The company added that, “The technical issues on the transmission lines from the Shiroro Transmission Station have been successfully rectified by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and power allocation to AEDC has been restored to normal operational levels.”

AEDC also thanked electricity consumers for their patience while efforts were being made to restore stability.

“We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding while our technical teams and industry partners worked to restore stability,” the company said.

The latest statement, however, does not directly address TCN’s earlier denial that transmission-line tripping was responsible for the reduction in power supply.

The development leaves the two agencies with differing accounts of what triggered the recent electricity shortage, even as AEDC says power allocation has now returned to normal operational levels.