Abuja residents face power cuts as allocation falls by half

For four days and counting, residents of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory have endured reduced electricity supply as a transmission constraint cuts the power available to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) by more than half.

The disruption, which began on Tuesday, has also affected customers on premium Band A feeders, despite the higher level of service expected from such feeders.

According to the statement released by AEDC, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is currently experiencing transmission constraints affecting electricity supply to Abuja and parts of its franchise area, significantly reducing the amount of electricity available for distribution to its customers to 314MW.

“The ripping of the transmission lines supplying Abuja from the Shiroro transmission station has significantly reduced the power available to AEDC. Our allocation has dropped from approximately 641MW to 314MW, substantially impacting our ability to supply electricity to our customers,” the company said.

The reduction represents a loss of about 327MW, or roughly 51 percent of AEDC’s previous allocation, leaving the distribution company with considerably less power to share among customers across its network.

The development has added another layer to the persistent challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity sector, where inadequate generation and ageing infrastructure have repeatedly affected electricity supply.

The company later said in a statement on Thursday that the issue had been resolved.

Shiroro: A recurring flashpoint

The Shiroro axis has become one of the persistent trouble spots in Nigeria’s power sector. The transmission corridor running from Shiroro through Minna, Bida and Suleja into the Federal Capital Territory has increasingly come under attack from vandals targeting its conductors for scrap metal, in addition to the natural deterioration of the towers supporting the line.

According to former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, unresolved insecurity along a related northern corridor, the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, has left the national grid “fragile” and prone to collapse.

The country is reportedly generating between 4,000MW and 5,000MW of electricity, less than a fifth of what it needs, with generation sometimes dropping to near zero during a system collapse.

For Abuja residents, the immediate consequence is longer periods without electricity, as AEDC rations the limited power available across its network. Businesses that depend on electricity for their operations and production are also likely to feel the impact of the disruption.

As a result, AEDC said it has commenced load shedding across several feeders in its franchise area, including Band A feeders.

“As a result, load shedding is currently being implemented across several feeders, including Band A feeders, due to the reduced power available from the transmission network,” the company stated.

AEDC also said the current challenge is not solely linked to the transmission constraint, noting that the National Control Centre (NCC) has reported low generation levels.

“The national control centre (NCC) has also reported low generation levels, further compounding the supply challenge,” the company said.

The combination of lower generation and restricted transmission capacity means that the amount of electricity available to AEDC is being constrained at both the generation and transmission stages before it reaches consumers.