TCN Launches Digital Platform to Improve Grid Monitoring, Cut Outages

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has unveiled a new digital platform for tracking electricity load and outages, in a move aimed at improving grid reliability, accountability and operational efficiency.

The Load & Outage Analytics platform was developed by TCN’s Operations Department and demonstrated on Wednesday, at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.

The initiative is expected to replace fragmented outage reporting methods with a centralised system capable of providing faster analysis of transmission network performance.

Speaking at the event, TCN’s 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 platform in-house.

Abdulaziz noted that although the system was not yet fully available across the network, the technology had already improved visibility of transmission operations.

He identified technical and commercial losses as continuing challenges for TCN and stressed the importance of better load management and supply-demand analysis in improving grid stability.

According to him, improved control and maintenance of the network would help reduce outages, increase efficiency and limit the financial cost of prolonged interruptions.

The General Manager, Operations, Engr. Godwin Afamefuna Aguiyi, who led the technical presentation, said the platform was developed to address longstanding weaknesses in TCN’s reliability reporting system.

He said data currently stored separately in spreadsheets across regions, coupled with slow manual compilation and inconsistent calculation of performance indicators, had made it difficult to obtain timely and reliable national assessments.

The new Streamlit-based application contains 13 modules and provides views covering regions, stations, transformers and feeders. It can automatically classify outages, generate reliability performance reports and produce management reports within minutes.

The platform also features role-based access, structured data uploads and audit trails. Individual staff credentials will replace shared logins and uncontrolled spreadsheet access, allowing the company to track activities and improve accountability.

Aguiyi used July 2026 outage data to demonstrate the system, noting that the figures represented raw submissions from TCN’s regional teams and would be cross-referenced with the official release of the Nigerian Independent System Operator.

The data showed that 3,714 outages were recorded nationwide during the month, resulting in 48,603 megawatt-hours of lost load. The Lagos region accounted for 20,693 MWh, including 572 emergency outages, 306 forced outages and 129 planned outages.

The presentation also showed that 22 feeders exceeded allowable outage hours, with associated losses valued at N720.33 million. The Obosi feeder in Onitsha, for instance, recorded 1,063.74 MWh in lost load at Band A rates.

Aguiyi clarified that the feeder-level figures covered the portion of the network for which TCN was responsible, separate from outages attributable to Distribution Companies.

The platform also incorporates the Fault Attribution Ratio, which helps determine responsibility for service interruptions between TCN and DisCos. Under the applicable Service Level Agreement, allowable downtime responsibility is set at 30 per cent for TCN and 70 per cent for DisCos, although individual outages are attributed according to their specific causes and network segments.

Aguiyi said the system could also support monitoring of transmission losses if fully deployed alongside the required energy measurement devices.

He recommended nationwide deployment, integration of Internet of Things technology for real-time data collection and upgrades to systems, display screens and internet connectivity at transmission stations.

The Executive Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Mrs Abiodun Afolabi-Fadahunsi, assured technical personnel of management’s continued support, saying engineers and system operators needed the right tools to maintain grid stability.

She said management was monitoring daily grid reports and working to address operational requirements as they arise.

The platform represents a significant step towards digitising TCN’s monitoring and reporting processes, with its developers expecting faster identification of network weaknesses and better accountability for outages.