The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, rejected Kaduna Electric’s claim that a fault on the 330kV Jos transmission line contributed to reduced electricity supply across its franchise area, insisting that all 330kV lines connected to Jos remain operational and continue to transmit bulk power.

TCN described the distribution company’s account as “false and a deliberate misrepresentation of facts”, saying there had been no disruption to bulk electricity transmission on any 330kV line supplying Jos since the restoration of the Jos-Lafia 330kV Line 2 circuit breaker.

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The dispute followed a statement issued by Kaduna Electric on Wednesday, August 26, in which the distribution company attributed reduced supply across its franchise to lower power allocation.

Kaduna Electric said the reduction was mainly linked to an outage involving one generating unit at the Shiroro Generating Station and what it described as a fault on the 330kV Jos transmission line.

The company said the situation had affected the flow of electricity to Jos and surrounding areas.

The company reported that its allocation on August 25 stood at 104 megawatts, comprising 54MW from the Mando 330kV Transmission Station and 50MW from the Birnin-Kebbi axis.

Kaduna Electric said it was working with TCN to distribute the available electricity equitably across its network while monitoring efforts to restore the affected transmission infrastructure and Shiroro generating unit.

TCN, however, offered a sharply different account of the transmission situation.

According to the transmission company, the only relevant incident occurred at 3:30am on August 23, when the Jos-Lafia 330kV Line 2 circuit breaker was opened as a routine measure for voltage control.

TCN said the action was necessary to maintain grid stability and did not represent a transmission fault.

The company said the circuit breaker was restored at 11:59pm on August 24 and had remained in service since then.

“For the avoidance of doubt, all 330kV transmission lines connected to Jos are in service and transmitting bulk power,” TCN said.

“There has been no outage or disruption of bulk electricity transmission on any 330kV line supplying Jos attributable to TCN since that restoration.”

The disagreement comes amid wider pressure on Nigeria’s electricity system, where fluctuations in generation, transmission constraints and limited distribution capacity can quickly translate into reduced supply for consumers.

Recent grid data also show that electricity availability has remained uneven.

National Grid figures published around the period showed Kaduna Electric receiving allocations that varied considerably depending on the time of day, illustrating the broader volatility in power available to distribution companies.

Kaduna Electric serves customers across Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states, covering 84 local government areas.

The company says it has more than 800,000 customers and receives electricity through 11 transmission in-feeds.

The distribution company is also operating under heightened regulatory scrutiny.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, dissolved Kaduna Electric’s board earlier this month and appointed an interim board following concerns over the company’s financial and operational performance.

NERC said Kaduna Electric had accumulated approximately ₦456.5 billion in total market obligations, while its adjusted market invoice remittance stood at 41.93 per cent in 2025.

The regulator also reported an ATC&C loss level of 71.88 per cent and customer metering coverage of less than 36 per cent.

Against this backdrop, the disagreement over the Jos transmission line places renewed attention on how electricity shortages are attributed across the power value chain.

TCN urged Kaduna Electric and other stakeholders to verify information with the transmission company before making public statements concerning transmission infrastructure.

“We urge Kaduna Electric and other stakeholders to verify facts with TCN before issuing statements that misinform the public and create unnecessary anxiety,” the transmission company said.

TCN also appealed to electricity consumers in Jos and surrounding communities to disregard what it described as misleading information, while assuring customers that it remained committed to stable bulk power transmission to distribution companies across the country.

For consumers, the immediate issue remains the availability of electricity, regardless of whether the shortfall originates from generation, transmission or distribution.

The conflicting accounts from two key players therefore leave greater transparency and timely communication as important parts of restoring public confidence in the power supply system.

The latest exchange also highlights the delicate relationship between generation, transmission and distribution operators.

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A disruption or reduction at any point in the chain can affect consumers, while differing explanations can make it difficult for customers to understand the actual cause of a power shortage.