Northern states face prolonged blackout over transmission upgrade

Residents across Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states are set to endure weeks of reduced electricity supply as the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) begins a scheduled outage on the Jos–Gombe 330kV transmission line.

The disruption, which runs from April 9 to May 2, 2026, will occur weekly from Thursday to Sunday between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm.

According to NISO, the outage is necessary to facilitate the installation of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) fibre optic infrastructure aimed at strengthening grid operations.

Despite assurances that partial supply will be maintained through existing 132kV lines, many communities are expected to experience intermittent blackouts due to limited network capacity.

“We are working closely with Jos and Yola Distribution Companies, as well as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), to manage outages across feeders, distribution substations, and customer clusters within the stipulated timeframe,” NISO stated.

The agency said the upgrade would enhance real-time monitoring, improve fault detection, and boost load balancing across the region, ultimately leading to more reliable power delivery.

Abdu Mohammed Bello, NISO Managing director and chief executive officer acknowledged the ongoing challenges in the power sector, particularly transmission losses, which previously stood at nearly 10 per cent.

“These interventions are contributing to improved system discipline and reliability, but the reality is that even with upgrades, sections of our grid will experience power scarcity,” Bello said.

He added that recent efforts have reduced losses to 7.05 per cent, with a target to bring the figure down further to between five and six per cent.

While the long-term benefits include improved electricity quality and stronger grid coordination, residents in the affected states are bracing for weeks of disrupted supply.