Residents and businesses in several parts of Benin City will face daily electricity disruptions for more than a month following a planned transmission shutdown affecting four major feeders under the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
In a notice issued on Tuesday, the distribution company said the outage is linked to scheduled construction works by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on the 330kV Benin/Ajaokuta Line 2 (Cct. 2BEN-AJK2) at the Ihovbor 330kV Transmission Station.
“Please be informed that a planned outage has been scheduled on the 330kV Benin/Ajaokuta Line 2 (Cct. 2BEN-AJK2) at Ihovbor 330kV Transmission Station to enable critical construction works by the Transmission Company of Nigeria,” Benin DisCo stated.
The maintenance window will run from 8:00 a.m. on Friday, 27 February 2026, through 31 March 2026, with work scheduled daily between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
According to the DisCo, power supply to affected feeders will be restored after 5:00 p.m. each day.
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Four 33kV feeders affected
The company said four 33kV feeders — Egba, Oluku, Uniben and Ihovbor — will be impacted during the period.
Areas expected to experience outages include Uniben, Ugbowo, Oluku, Upper Sakponba, Ihovbor and Egba, as well as adjoining communities.
The affected districts comprise densely populated residential neighbourhoods and high commercial activity corridors, raising concerns about the economic impact of sustained daytime blackouts.
The University of Benin axis, small-scale manufacturers, traders and service-based businesses in Ugbowo and Upper Sakponba are among those likely to be significantly affected.
Transmission bottlenecks persist
The 330kV Benin/Ajaokuta Line 2 serves as a critical transmission backbone supplying parts of Edo State and neighbouring regions. Interventions at the Ihovbor Transmission Station, a key node on the national grid, typically affect downstream distribution networks.
Nigeria’s power sector continues to grapple with transmission constraints that limit the evacuation and wheeling of available generation capacity.
Industry data show that grid bottlenecks, ageing infrastructure and maintenance backlogs remain structural weaknesses across the electricity value chain.
While planned outages are disruptive in the short term, sector operators argue they are necessary to strengthen network capacity, stabilise supply and improve long-term reliability.
The DisCo said the construction works are aimed at enhancing transmission capacity, increasing energy availability on the grid and improving service delivery within its franchise area.
It apologised for the inconvenience and urged customers in the affected areas to make contingency arrangements during the maintenance period.
