The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a scheduled two-day repair operation at its Irrua 132/33kV Transmission Substation in Edo State. The event is expected to interrupt bulk energy delivery to consumers covered by five major distribution feeders. Buy Maps
Planned for 2 and 3 November 2026, the exercise will involve work on the 100MVA power transformer in the substation to allow contractors to commission an installed SERGI fire protection system.
“The maintenance will take place between 10:00am and 5:00pm each day and this will not allow Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to take bulk electricity for onwards distribution to affected customers during the scheduled work periods,” TCN said.
The impacted feeders are Ehor, Uzebba, Ubiaja, Ekpoma and Agbor 33kV feeders, resulting in temporary disruption in power supply to electrical users on these networks during the maintenance activity.
The announcement highlights the operational difficulties in guaranteeing the good repair of vital transmission infrastructure, while maintaining the safety and dependability of high-capacity power equipment.
TCN revealed that the intervention might impair electricity delivery to consumers connected to the five 33kV feeders supplied through the Irrua transmission substation.
“Since BEDC will not be able to take bulk electricity through the affected transmission arrangement during the maintenance hours, customers who depend on the feeders should expect interruptions in supply.
The two-day program will see the concerned distribution networks interrupted from 10:00am to 5:00pm on November 2 and 3.
TCN has not said if alternate supply arrangements would be put in place to cushion the impact on customers during the exercise.
The heart of the maintenance operation is the commissioning of the SERGI fire safety system fitted on the 100MVA transformer.
The technology is intended to protect vital transformer infrastructure, which is a significant consideration considering the operational and financial ramifications of severe transformer fires at power transmission facilities.
The commissioning exercise is planned to enable TCN contractors to finish the necessary work on the installed protective system.
Transformers are one of the most important elements of the national transmission network. A failure in a transformer can interrupt the supply of power to several distribution networks and thousands of consumers.
The planned intervention consequently represents part of the technical effort needed to assist the protection of the Irrua transmission infrastructure.
The transmission firm apologised to power consumers in the impacted areas for the difficulty the scheduled work will create.
In a message dated November 1, 2026 and signed by Management, TCN asked customers to be patient with the company during the exercise.
The business did not declare a wider closure of the transmission network but only mentioned the five 33kv feeders that would be affected by the failure of BEDC to off-take bulk electricity.
Therefore, electricity consumers in Ehor, Uzebba, Ubiaja, Ekpoma and Agbor are advised to plan for the announced interruption as TCN executes the transformer protection system commissioning.
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