ABUJA — The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a significant disruption to the national power grid following the destruction of six transmission towers along the critical Apir-Lafia 330kV transmission line in Nasarawa State.
Details of the Incident
According to a statement released on Wednesday by Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, the act of vandalism occurred during a heavy downpour on May 30 at approximately 1:15 a.m.
Extent of Damage: Physical patrols of the transmission corridor confirmed that towers T125 through T130 were severely damaged by vandals.
Operational Impact: Both the Apir-Lafia 330kV transmission lines I and II were forced out of service.
Emergency Response: TCN engineers have been mobilized to the site to assess the damage and determine the materials necessary for the reconstruction of the affected towers.
Mitigation Measures
To minimize the impact of the outage on customers within the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) franchise areas, TCN has implemented a temporary solution:
The Lafia 330kV Transmission Station is currently being fed through the Lafia Jos transmission line to maintain power supply to affected regions.
Call to Action
TCN has strongly condemned the recurring destruction of power infrastructure, noting that these criminal acts severely undermine national investments in the electricity sector and jeopardize grid stability.
The company is calling on host communities and the general public to heighten their vigilance and report any suspicious activities near transmission facilities to security agencies or the nearest TCN office. "Collective action is essential to protect national grid assets and ensure reliable power supply," Mbah emphasized.
