OPGW installation to strengthen national grid, power outage planned in North-East – NISO

By Onu Okorie

Nigerian Independent System Operator NISO has said that it announced a planned transmission outage affecting parts of the North-East, following plan to carry out the connection of the Optical Ground Wire on the 330kV transmission line.

A statement released in Abuja weekend explained that the installation of the Optical Ground Wire OPGW forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen transmission infrastructure and enhance the reliability, monitoring and communication capabilities of Nigeria’s national grid.

NISO disclosed that the planned outage will take place on the Jos–Bauchi–Gombe 330kV transmission line from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, 2026, until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

According to the system operator, the outage is necessary to enable the Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN to carry out the connection of the Optical Ground Wire on the 330kV transmission line.

As a result of the maintenance work, electricity supply will be interrupted in Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and surrounding communities during the shutdown period.

NISO further explained that the Jos–Bauchi–Gombe 132kV transmission line will also be temporarily taken out of service to provide a safe working environment for engineers carrying out the installation.

The agency noted that the OPGW installation is a key component of ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s transmission network by improving grid monitoring, operational communication and overall system reliability.

Industry experts say Optical Ground Wire technology enhances the transmission network by combining the functions of lightning protection with high-capacity fibre-optic communication, enabling faster fault detection, improved grid control and more efficient coordination across the electricity system.

NISO appealed to electricity market participants and consumers in the affected areas to bear with the temporary disruption, assuring that the exercise is aimed at delivering a more reliable power transmission network.

The system operator expressed regret over the inconvenience the planned outage may cause and thanked customers and stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation as work progresses on the critical infrastructure upgrade.