Blackout Hits Parts of Lagos as Flooding Shuts Down TCN Substation

Blackout Hits Lagos As Flood Submerges Transmission Substations

Some parts of Lagos State have been thrown into darkness after severe flooding caused by continuous rainfall submerged key transmission substations, forcing the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to declare force majeure.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, TCN said the flooding affected the Oworoshoki 133/33KV and Lekki 330/132KV transmission substations.

According to the company, while the Lekki 330/132KV Transmission Substation remains operational as water is being pumped out, the Oworoshoki 133/33KV Transmission Substation has been completely shut down after floodwaters affected two power transformers.

TCN said the affected transformers—TR1 (60MVA) and TR3 (30MVA)—tripped on no load despite attempts to restore them.

The company also disclosed that floodwaters submerged the protection and control cables connected to the transformers, making restoration efforts difficult.

"Presently, all power protection and control cable of the two power transformers are submerged inside water and efforts to evacuate the water have proved ineffective as the rain continues to fall," the statement read.

TCN said its engineers are working round the clock to drain the floodwater and carry out the necessary tests before power can be restored to the affected facilities.

"Our engineers are working, doing everything possible to evacuate the flood to enable them to test the transformers for restoration," the company stated.

TCN apologised to customers of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) affected by the outage and expressed hope that electricity supply would be restored once the floodwater is successfully evacuated and the damaged equipment is certified safe for operation.