By Onilede Titi Faith
Residents of Lagos State are bracing for a period of intermittent power outages following the commencement of a 25-day maintenance operation by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The critical infrastructure upgrade began on Monday, July 28, 2025, and is scheduled to run daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until Thursday, August 21, 2025.
The maintenance work specifically targets the Omotosho–Ikeja West 330kV transmission line, a vital artery in the power infrastructure supplying Lagos State. This scheduled operation is expected to cause occasional blackouts and load shedding in various parts of the state throughout the maintenance period.
According to a statement from Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, the project has received approval from both the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the National Independent System Operator (NISO). The upgrade involves the installation of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) fibre cable on the transmission line.
The OPGW installation is a crucial step aimed at enhancing grid monitoring, communication, and control through the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system. This will significantly improve the overall efficiency, reliability, and real-time management of power transmission in the future.
While acknowledging the inconvenience, TCN and the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) serving Lagos, including Ikeja Electric and Eko Electricity Distribution Company, have urged residents to remain patient during the process. They emphasize that the upgrade is a necessary step towards a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos once completed. Though power will be restored through the line after each day’s work, customers should anticipate disruptions during the daily maintenance window.
