Borno, Plateau, Bauchi, and 4 other Northern states to face power cuts for grid upgrade

Electricity consumers in Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, and Yobe states will likely experience a power blackout for weeks, as the Nigerian Independent System Operator has declared a scheduled outage on the Jos-Gombe 330kV transmission line.

According to the public notice from the Nigerian Independent System Operator on Thursday, the outage will occur from April 9 to May 22, 2026, and the scheduled power cut will take place weekly from Thursday to Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The agency further clarified that such a power outage is merely one of the steps taken in line with a bigger plan to convert the national grid into a modern one by fitting the Optical Ground Wire fibre optic infrastructure along the Jos, Gombe transmission corridor.

The notice read, “The Nigerian Independent System Operator wishes to inform customers in the affected States of a scheduled outage on the Jos–Gombe 330kV transmission line from 9th April to 22nd May 2026, occurring every Thursday to Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

“This outage is necessary to facilitate the installation of Optical Ground Wire fibre optic infrastructure along the line. This upgrade is part of ongoing efforts to enhance grid operations through improved SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), EMS (Energy Management Systems), and telecommunications capabilities.

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“It is expected to strengthen real-time monitoring, fault detection, load balancing, and overall energy delivery across the region.”

Despite assurances of alternative supply arrangements, the system operator warned that electricity consumers in the affected states should expect reduced power availability during the outage windows.

According to the operator, “During the outage period, supply to the affected areas will be maintained through available 132kV transmission lines.

“However, due to inherent network constraints and limited capacity on these lines, customers may experience reduced power supply and service limitations within the stated outage window.”

The development highlights ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power transmission network, where redundancy and capacity limitations often lead to supply disruptions whenever major infrastructure upgrades are undertaken.

However, the system operator insisted that the temporary inconvenience would deliver long-term benefits, particularly in improving grid intelligence and operational efficiency.

It stated, “This upgrade is part of ongoing efforts to enhance grid operations through improved SCADA, Energy Management Systems, and telecommunications capabilities.”

It further explained, “It is expected to strengthen real-time monitoring, fault detection, load balancing, and overall energy delivery across the region.”

The agency disclosed that it is working with distribution companies and other sector players to minimise the impact on consumers.

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“We are working closely with key stakeholders, including Jos and Yola Distribution Companies, as well as partners such as the Transmission Company of Nigeria, who have shown strong cooperation during stakeholder engagements,” the notice said.

It added that, “Every effort is being made to ensure that outages across feeders, distribution substations, and customer clusters are managed within the stipulated timeframe.”

After finishing, the project will greatly increase electricity reliability in the area by allowing faster detection of faults, improved load management, and a more coordinated grid.

The operator mentioned that the expected benefits are improved supply quality, faster electricity restoration after faults, higher system stability, and better integration of generation and load data.

It stated, “Upon completion, the project is expected to deliver the following benefits: Improved quality and reliability of electricity supply, enhanced grid coordination and load management, faster restoration of supply following faults. Improved system monitoring, stability, and reduced disturbances. Better integration of generation and load data. Strengthened telecommunications backbone for power system operations in the region.”

The agency also pointed out that the fibre optic installation would be an important step in the building of a telecommunications backbone capable of supporting the operations of a modern power system.

Reports show that the Nigerian power sector has deeply relied on digital infrastructures such as fibre optics, SCADA, and energy management systems to tackle a continuously unstable grid, frequent system collapses, and hardly visible transmission networks.

Such upgrading is extremely necessary if the country is to increase power generation and distribution, especially in areas with little or no electricity, like the North-East.

In an apology for the disruption, the system operator called on the public to sympathize with their situation.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to deliver a more reliable and efficient power supply to the affected States,” the notice concluded.