Blackout in Kano, Kaduna as vandals destroy TCN towers

Vandals have destroyed two towers belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), leading to blackout in some parts of Kano and Kaduna states.

This comes few days after the national grid collapsed before it was restored.

Spokesperson of TCN, Ndidi Mbah, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said the damaged facilities – T133 and T136 – are along 330-kilovolt Shiroro-Kaduna lines 1 and 2.

She said TCN is making plans to deploy the newly procured emergency restoration system to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged tower.

Mbah noted that interim measures have been put in place to restore bulk power supply to the region.

The statement said, “According to reports from the Shiroro Regional office of TCN, the 330kV transmission line one tripped first, followed shortly by the second, as efforts were still ongoing to reclose the first line, prompting the urgent mobilization of local vigilantes to patrol the lines.

“This led to the discovery of two damaged towers, towers T133 and tower T 136, with their cables badly damaged at several points.

She said TCN is making plans to deploy the newly procured emergency restoration system to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged tower.

Mbah noted that interim measures have been put in place to restore bulk power supply to the region.

The statement said, “According to reports from the Shiroro Regional office of TCN, the 330kV transmission line one tripped first, followed shortly by the second, as efforts were still ongoing to reclose the first line, prompting the urgent mobilization of local vigilantes to patrol the lines.

“This led to the discovery of two damaged towers, towers T133 and tower T 136, with their cables badly damaged at several points.

“Arrangements are in top gear to deploy the newly procured ’emergency restoration system’ to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers.

“TCN has also conducted an aerial survey in collaboration with security operatives, given the area’s vulnerability to banditry, which poses a significant threat to both TCN installations and personnel.

“In the interim, our engineers have implemented a temporary measure to supply bulk power to the Kaduna and Kano regions via the 330kV Kaduna – Jos transmission line.

“The vandalized Shiroro – Kaduna 330kV lines 1&2 are vital lines through which bulk power is transmitted to parts of the North West region, with each line capable of carrying 600MW. The vandalism of the towers and transmission lines presents a significant challenge to bulk power transmission in that axis.

“We are however committed to re-erecting the towers and restringing the transmission lines to restore bulk power transmission through both 330kV power transmission lines.”