Northern Nigeria dey experience widespread power outage because of fault in the 330kV Ugwaji-Apir Double Circuit transmission lines. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announce dis on Tuesday, saying the lines trip at approximately 4:53 am and 4:58 am on Monday, leading to a total loss of 468 megawatts (MW).
The TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, explain say the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330kV Line 2 trip first, and den 243 MW was transferred to Line 1 on the same route. But by 4:58 am, Line 1 also trip, causing a complete loss of power supply to communities in the North-east, North-west, and parts of North-central Nigeria.
TCN dispatch two teams of engineers from Apir and Enugu transmission sub-regions to trace the fault and fix the problem. However, dem face challenges due to difficult terrain and security concerns. The team from Enugu was initially hindered by the ‘sit-at-home’ directive in the South-East for October 21 and 22, 2024.
Although TCN don restore power supply to the 132kV transmission line from New Haven to Apir, the 330kV lines remain out of service. Additionally, the TCN Shiroro-Mando transmission line is also down due to security reasons, compounding the power outage in the North.
TCN apologize for the inconvenience and assure the public that dem dey make every effort to locate and resolve the issue as soon as possible. Dem also emphasize that their patrol teams would have continued their search into the night, but the challenging terrain and insecure areas make am impossible.
