The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, have disagreed over the cause of a sharp drop in electricity supply to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
AEDC had, in a notice to customers on August 26, 2026, explained that its power allocation had fallen from about 641 megawatts to 314 megawatts, blaming the shortfall on the alleged tripping of 330kV transmission lines from the Shiroro Transmission Substation, lines it relies on to distribute electricity across Abuja.
But TCN has rejected that explanation, calling it “inaccurate and misleading.”
In a statement issued Thursday, the transmission company said all its 330kV lines within the Abuja region remain in circuit and that no tripping occurred.
Instead, TCN attributed the reduced supply to low electricity generation on the national grid, a recurring problem tied to Nigeria’s ageing power infrastructure and gas supply constraints to power plants.
The conflicting accounts leave AEDC customers with little clarity on what actually caused the load shedding affecting homes and businesses across the capital, even as both companies publicly dispute where the fault lies.
TCN, however, reiterated its commitment to grid stability and called for more accurate public communication from stakeholders.
