Vandals attack 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna power lines, disrupt supply
BY UKPONO UKPONG
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said that two towers along the critical 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines have been damaged by vandals, affecting bulk power transmission to parts of the North West region.
This was contained in a statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah.
According to Mbah, the two towers, identified as T133 and T136, were severely damaged, thereby disrupting operations on both Shiroro-Kaduna lines 1 and 2.
Explaining further, she said that the first 330kV transmission line tripped before the second line also went down, just as efforts were underway to restore the first line.
Furthermore, she noted that during the patrol, it was discovered that the vandals had badly damaged the towers and the transmission cables at multiple points.
This incident, according to her, has significantly hampered the supply of power from the Shiroro power station to Kaduna and other parts of the North West region, which rely on these lines for bulk power transmission.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announces that two towers along its 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines one and two have been vandalized, damaging parts of both transmission lines.
“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.”
In response to the incident, TCN revealed that preparations are underway to deploy an “emergency restoration system” to the site, and the temporary system will be used pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers.
Moreso, the statement noted that due to the vulnerability of the area to banditry, which poses a significant threat to both TCN installations and personnel, an aerial survey has also been conducted in collaboration with security operatives.
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Meanwhile, Mba revealed that TCN engineers have taken steps to ensure that power supply is maintained in the affected regions.
“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.” TCN noted.
