The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has informed electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) across the North-East that large parts of the region will experience power outages or a significant reduction in electricity supply from June 10 to June 14, 2025.
In an internal memo signed by Engr. J.O. Joseph, TCN’s Regional Operations Manager (Bauchi Region), the company attributed the planned outage to the construction of 330kV Turn-In and Turn-Out towers at the new Bauchi 330kV Substation, which requires the temporary shutdown of critical transmission lines.
The memo stated that the Jos–Bauchi–Gombe 132kV line would be out on June 14 to allow safe crossing of the existing line by the new towers.
However, a broader outage affecting the Jos–Gombe single circuit (SC) line will last from 10:00 AM on June 10 to 5:00 PM on June 14.
“Damaturu, Molai, Yola and Jalingo will be out of supply,” the statement said. “Gombe and Biu substations will be supplied through Dadin Kowa Hydro power plant, while Baga Road substation will receive power from the MEPP. This memo supersedes the earlier one,” it added.
DisCos Confirm Outage Impact
Yola Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the blackout would impact parts of Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states, particularly the injection substations in Damaturu, Molai, Yola, and Jalingo.
However, Biu will be powered by the Dadin Kowa hydro plant, while Baga Road in Maiduguri will be back-fed from the MEPP. Nguru, Machina, and surrounding areas will receive power via the 33kV Nguru feeder.
Similarly, Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) said the planned load shedding would affect its customers in Gombe and Bauchi states.
In a statement issued via its Facebook page, the company blamed the supply cut on the limited transmission capacity from TCN due to the ongoing reconstruction and reinforcement work at the Bauchi Transmission Station.
“Gombe is temporarily being supplied through the 132kV Jos–Bauchi–Gombe transmission line and the Dadin-Kowa Hydro Station, which are currently unable to meet full demand,” the statement said.
It also noted that Ashaka Cement Plant and other major users would be affected, urging customers to bear with the situation.
“We understand the inconvenience this situation may cause and assure you that normal power supply will be restored as soon as TCN completes the reconstruction,” the company said.
This disruption comes just eight months after a massive blackout affected 17 northern states in October 2024. That incident was traced to faults on TCN’s 330kV Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines, which tripped due to a system failure, cutting off 468 MW of power and taking two weeks to resolve.
Lack of Backup Lines Blamed
A retired TCN official, speaking anonymously to Daily Trust, attributed the persistent risk of blackouts in the North-East to the absence of an alternative transmission line.
“It is only the 132kV Jos–Bauchi–Gombe line that supplies electricity to the region. If any fault occurs on that line, there’s no backup, and blackout becomes inevitable,” he said.
He revealed that the federal government has been in discussions with the World Bank to finance a second transmission line project for the North-East, but the proposal has not yet materialised.
When contacted for updates on alternative power routes or ongoing solutions, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah did not respond to calls or messages.
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