Rivers power disruption follows labour dispute at Afam station

Electricity supply has been disrupted in parts of Port Harcourt and surrounding communities following a labour dispute at the Afam IV Gas Power Station in Rivers State, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has said. TCN said the disruption began on Monday, September 28, after members of the Rivers State chapter of the National Union of Electricity Employees opened the Afam–Alaoji 330-kilovolt Transmission Line 2 at the Alaoji transmission substation. According to the company, the action caused a 150-megavolt-ampere 330/132kV inter-bus transformer at Afam IV to trip.

This affected bulk electricity transmission to parts of Port Harcourt and its environs. TCN said the affected infrastructure also included the Port Harcourt Town 132kV Transmission Substation, the Elelenwo 132kV substation and a 60MVA transformer at the Port Harcourt Mains substation. The company attributed the incident to an ongoing disagreement between NUEE and the management of Afam IV.

It did not disclose the specific issues in dispute. TCN said it was engaging relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Independent System Operator, to restore the facilities when conditions allowed safe restoration. It did not provide a specific timeline for returning supply.

The transmission company apologised to consumers and said it would continue issuing updates. The disruption demonstrates how disputes at generation or transmission facilities can affect electricity delivery to distribution networks, businesses and households. TCN transmits bulk power from generating stations, while NISO coordinates operation of the national grid.