TCN Links Port Harcourt Power Disruption to Afam IV Labour Dispute
Electricity supply to parts of Port Harcourt and surrounding communities has been disrupted after a labour-related incident at Afam IV affected key transmission facilities, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
TCN said the disruption began on September 28 after members of the Rivers State chapter of the National Union of Electricity Employees opened the Afam–Alaoji 330kV Transmission Line 2 at the Alaoji Transmission Substation.
The company linked the action to an ongoing dispute between NUEE and the management of Afam IV Gas Power Station.
According to TCN, the incident caused the 150MVA 330/132kV inter-bus transformer at Afam IV to trip, interrupting bulk electricity transmission to parts of Port Harcourt and neighbouring areas.
Key Transmission Facilities Affected
TCN identified the Port Harcourt Town 132kV Transmission Substation, Elelenwo 132kV Transmission Substation and a 60MVA 132/33kV transformer at Port Harcourt Mains among the affected facilities.
The disruption does not mean all of Rivers State is without electricity.
But households and businesses connected through the affected transmission facilities face uncertain supply while restoration work continues.
TCN said it was engaging relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Independent System Operator, to return affected facilities to service.
It did not announce a specific restoration timetable.
TCN Attributes Disruption to Labour Action
The account of how the disruption began comes from TCN.
The transmission company says NUEE members opened the line as part of the dispute involving Afam IV management.
That attribution has not been independently established by IDNN.
As of the latest source check for this story, IDNN had not found a detailed public response from the Rivers chapter of NUEE addressing TCN’s account or explaining the underlying dispute.
That leaves important questions unresolved: what triggered the disagreement, what the union is demanding and whether negotiations are underway.
Consumers Carry the Immediate Consequence
Whatever the dispute between workers and management, electricity consumers are carrying the immediate consequence.
Supply disruptions can affect homes, shops, offices and other businesses that depend on grid electricity and may be forced to use alternative power sources while restoration remains uncertain.
TCN apologised for the inconvenience and said further updates would be issued as the situation developed.
The accountability test is now straightforward: how quickly transmission is restored, whether both sides resolve the dispute and what safeguards exist to prevent another industrial disagreement from disrupting critical electricity infrastructure.
Until then, consumers in affected parts of Port Harcourt remain caught between a labour dispute they did not create and a power system they depend on.
