TCN, Transmission Company of Nigeria, vandalism, power supply, Shiroro-Katampe transmission line, infrastructure, electricity, security
Article:The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced on Sunday that its critical infrastructure, the Shiroro-Katampe 330kV transmission line, had been vandalized, marking the fifth such incident within February and March this year. The TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, revealed that the vandalism occurred at approximately 9 am on Sunday, resulting in a trip in the transmission line.
Following initial investigations, TCN engineers attempted to restore operation but were unsuccessful. Efforts were then made to identify the fault location, and during the fault-tracing process, TCN personnel confirmed vandalism along the Shiroro-Katampe transmission line. Conductors were stolen, leading to disruptions in the power supply.
TCN is currently mobilizing for conductor replacement, pending completion of security operations at the site. However, the second line remains fully operational, transmitting at full capacity to Abuja, in conjunction with the Gwagwalada 330kV line serving the Kukwaba-Apo axis. Additionally, the wheeling capacity of TCN towards Abuja and environs would be enhanced by the Lokoja – Gwagwalada 330kV transmission line.
The recent incident adds to a series of vandalism cases recorded by TCN in February 2024, including destruction along various transmission lines across the country. TCN condemned these acts of sabotage and urged relevant security agencies and host communities to collaborate in apprehending the perpetrators. Protection of the nation’s transmission infrastructure is paramount, and collective efforts are required to curb these incidents.
TCN emphasized that the current power supply situation in Abuja is not solely attributable to inadequate transmission capacity resulting from the Gwagwalada tower vandalism incident of February 26, 2024. The company clarified that the incident impacted redundancy and flexibility of bulk supply but did not affect the capability of TCN to supply adequate bulk power to Abuja and environs.
TCN underscored the importance of safeguarding electricity infrastructure as a national asset and called upon all Nigerians to assist in reporting acts of vandalism. It reiterated that the current power situation is primarily due to low load allocation, caused by low power generation into the nation’s grid.