TCN Unveils Load and Outage Analytics Platform to Boost Grid Reliability
Oru Leonard
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has unveiled a new Load and Outage Analytics platform designed to improve visibility, monitoring and management of the nation’s transmission network and enhance electricity grid reliability.
The platform was presented and demonstrated by TCN’s Operations Department at the company’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, with management and staff in attendance.
Representing the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, the General Manager, Project Coordination, Engr. Aminu Tahir, commended the team for developing the technology and integrating it into the company’s operations.
Tahir said although the full system was still being developed, the technology had already provided improved visibility of the transmission network.
He stressed the need for better load management, supply-demand matching and analysis of the transmission system, noting that technical and commercial losses remained major concerns affecting the company’s performance.
According to him, improved load management and grid stability would help reduce outages, enhance operational efficiency and lower the costs associated with prolonged power interruptions.
He added that effective control and maintenance of the transmission system would contribute to reducing losses and strengthening the overall stability and performance of Nigeria’s electricity network.
Presenting the platform, the General Manager, Operations, Engr. Godwin Afamefuna Aguiyi, said the existing reliability reporting system was hampered by fragmented data stored in spreadsheets across different regions, slow manual reporting processes, inconsistent calculations of key performance indicators and the absence of a comprehensive audit trail.
These challenges, he said, often delayed management decisions and weakened national reliability assessments.
Aguiyi explained that the new platform, a Streamlit-based application comprising 13 modules, was developed entirely in-house by TCN’s Operations Department.
He described the development as an indication of the growing technical capacity of the department, coming barely a year after the establishment of TCN’s Transmission Service Operator (TSO) department.
The platform provides region, station, transformer and feeder-level views for load analysis, automatically classifies outages, generates reliability performance reports and produces board-ready reports within minutes rather than days.
It also incorporates role-based access, structured data uploads and comprehensive audit trails to improve accountability.
According to Aguiyi, individual login credentials for staff would eliminate the practice of shared logins and uncontrolled spreadsheet access, while the TCN-branded interface would make the system easier for personnel to adopt.
Demonstrating the platform with July 2026 outage data, he said 3,714 outages were recorded nationwide during the month, resulting in 48,603 megawatt-hours (MWh) of load lost.
The Lagos region accounted for 20,693 MWh of the total load lost, comprising 572 emergency outages, 306 forced outages and 129 planned outages.
He further disclosed that 22 feeders exceeded allowable outage hours, with the associated losses valued at about ₦720.33 million.
He cited the Obosi feeder in Onitsha as an example, saying it recorded a loss of 1,063.74 MWh at Band A rates.
Aguiyi, however, clarified that the July figures used during the demonstration represented raw inputs submitted by regional teams and were intended for cross-referencing with the official release of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) for the same period.
He also stressed that the 33kV feeder-level outage data represented the portion of the load and outage segment for which TCN was accountable in July, distinct from the portion attributable to Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The platform also incorporates the Fault Attribution Ratio (FAR), a regulatory framework used to determine responsibility for service interruptions between TCN and DisCos.
Under the applicable Service Level Agreement, TCN’s allowable downtime responsibility is 30 percent, while DisCos account for 70 percent. The allocation, however, is not a fixed split for every outage, as individual incidents are attributed based on the identified fault type and responsible network segment.
Aguiyi said the arrangement would promote clearer responsibility and compensation while strengthening accountability among electricity sector operators.
He added that, when fully deployed alongside the required interface energy measurement devices, the platform could also facilitate monitoring of the Transmission Losses Factor (TLF) across the transmission network.
He recommended nationwide deployment of the platform, integration with Internet of Things (IoT) technology for real-time data capture and upgrades to infrastructure, including computer systems, display screens and internet connectivity at transmission stations.
The Executive Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Mrs. Abiodun Afolabi-Fadahunsi, reaffirmed management’s commitment to supporting technical teams with the tools and resources required to maintain national grid stability.
Afolabi-Fadahunsi said engineers and system operators must be adequately equipped to ensure seamless operations, commending their professionalism and resilience in managing the transmission system.
She disclosed that management was monitoring daily grid reports to identify and address operational requirements in real time.
The unveiling of the Load and Outage Analytics platform represents a significant step in TCN’s digital transformation drive and could provide the company with more timely and reliable information for operational decision-making.
If fully deployed, the system could reduce dependence on manual outage reporting, improve identification of feeder-level inefficiencies, strengthen accountability between TCN and DisCos and enhance data-driven management of Nigeria’s transmission network.
However, its effectiveness will depend on nationwide deployment, reliable digital infrastructure, real-time data integration and the willingness of stakeholders across the electricity value chain to adopt the system.
