More Darkness As Power Outage Hits Northern Nigeria, TCN Scrambles to Fix Faulty Transmission Lines
A sudden power outage has plagued the North East, North West, and parts of North Central Nigeria, following a fault on the 330kV Ugwaji-Apir Double Circuit transmission lines. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the incident, which occurred at approximately 4:53 am.
According to TCN, efforts to restore power were initially hindered by challenging terrains and security concerns. Two teams of linesmen were swiftly dispatched to trace the fault, but progress was slowed due to difficult conditions, including swamps, rivers, and insecure areas.
The ‘sit-at-home’ directive in the South East further complicated efforts, delaying one team’s patrol. However, arrangements were made for security escorts, and fault tracing resumed.
While TCN has managed to restore supply to some areas, the 330kV lines remain offline. The Shiroro-Mando transmission line is also down due to security concerns, exacerbating power outages.
TCN apologized for the inconvenience, assuring that every effort is being made to locate and repair the damaged lines. “We sincerely apologize to the government and electricity consumers in all the affected states,” said Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs.
With security operatives, TCN’s teams continue fault tracing to restore bulk power supply.
However, the worrisome incidences of power infrastructure vandalism in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria, remain a big challenge for the company with transmission lines are being crippled by the vandals while TCN grapples with the current darkness that has enveloped parts of the north.
