Electricity consumers in seven northern states will experience weeks of intermittent power disruptions following a planned outage announced by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).
In a public notice issued on April 8, 2026, NISO said the outage will impact Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe states between April 9 and May 22, 2026.
The system operator stated that the disruption will take place on the Jos–Gombe 330kV transmission line every Thursday to Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) wishes to inform customers in the affected states of a scheduled outage on the Jos–Gombe 330kV transmission line… occurring every Thursday to Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.,” the statement read.
NISO explained that the planned outage is to allow for the installation of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) fibre optic infrastructure along the transmission corridor.
According to the operator, the project is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen grid management systems, including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Energy Management Systems (EMS), and telecommunications infrastructure.
It noted that the upgrade is expected to improve real-time monitoring, fault detection, load balancing and overall power delivery in the affected region.
Despite efforts to maintain supply through alternative 132kV transmission lines, NISO cautioned that customers may still experience reduced electricity during the outage windows due to network limitations.
“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 operator said.
The agency added that it is collaborating with relevant stakeholders, including Jos and Yola Electricity Distribution Companies as well as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), to minimise the impact on consumers.
NISO also assured that outages affecting feeders, distribution substations and customer clusters would be carefully managed within the scheduled timeframe.
It said the project, when completed, will deliver improved reliability of electricity supply, better grid coordination, faster fault response, and stronger telecommunications support for power system operations.
The operator apologised for the inconvenience caused and appealed for public understanding as work continues to enhance electricity supply across the affected states.
