Nigeria: Woes Of TCN Deepen As Vandals Attack Its Power Transmission Infrastructure

Despite continuous appeal by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to vandals to stop attacking its power transmission infrastructure in order to guarantee reliable electricity supply to a little over half of the 210 million population that have access to grid connected power, it appears the appeals have fallen on deaf ears.

While officials of TCN are yet to be healed from the emotional torture they are going through at the hands of Nigerians who feel they are not up to task in guaranteeing them reliable and stable power supply, the power transmission company has reported yet another attack on its Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, which is currently under repair due to previous vandalism.

The Public Affairs Manager of TCN, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, confirmed the latest attack in a statement issued on Friday, November 22, 2024.

According to her, the attack by the vandals occurred on November 19, 2024.

The attack affected towers 29 to 31 and this resulted in the theft of approximately one-third of the conductor.

Ndidi Mbah said a team of TCN engineers, led by Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, conducted an inspection of the site noting that preliminary findings indicated that the incident occurred at night.

“In an attempt to prevent further theft while repair arrangements are being made, local security has been engaged at Ula Ikata in Ahoada East LGA to secure the site until repairs are completed. Additionally, the line will be energised from the Ahoada end as a preventive measure.

“Efforts to replace the stolen 250mm conductor are currently underway. Despite challenges posed by difficult terrain and flooding, the restringing of the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line is approximately 85% complete,” she said.

Earlier in November, vandals also attacked transmission towers in the Okada and Ofosu communities along the 330kV Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho transmission lines. A total of 31 towers were affected in this incident.

The vandalised towers which suffered significant damage, with critical components removed, were discovered by TCN linesmen during a routine patrol.

TCN engineers from the Benin sub-region have initiated repairs to prevent the collapse of the affected towers and to avoid disruption of bulk power supply.

These incidents underscore the urgent need to combat the growing problem of vandalism and theft affecting Nigeria’s power infrastructure.

TCN called on the public to support efforts to address these crimes, which have significantly hampered the expansion and stability of the national grid.

As TCN intensifies its efforts to protect installations, we appeal to security operatives and local communities to be more vigilant in safeguarding power infrastructure in their areas.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com