TCN laments, says insecurity affecting repairs on power infrastructure in Northern Nigeria

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN has lamented that insecurity was affecting repairs of damaged critical transmission lines, saying, it has caused blackout in some northern parts of the country.

The regional office of the company announced critical infrastructure damage in Shiroro on Friday.

Power outages are affecting some areas of Kano and Kaduna states following the vandalism of two towers along the 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines 1 and 2.

However, Engineer Nafisatu Asabe Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator at TCN, explained during a public hearing by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said the situation would not be fully resolved anytime soon, adding that the repair of the Ugwuaji-Apir line would only provide limited solution.

She explained that while the line could carry up to 750 megawatts (MW) of power, only 350 MW could be safely transmitted to Kano, Kaduna, and parts of Niger Republic due to voltage stability issues in Kano.

She noted that the larger Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which supplies more power, remains out of service due to insecurity in the area where it was damaged.

According to Nafisatu, the TCN had received security advice from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) indicating that the area where three towers were destroyed are currently inaccessible due to ongoing security issues.

“Despite having the materials needed for repairs, TCN cannot proceed until the security situation improves,” she noted.

She said the region is currently sharing 250MW of electricity with Niger Republic, and when the Ugwuaji-Apir line is restored, the maximum power transmission will reach only 350MW.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives had urged the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to collaborate with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Army, and other relevant security agencies to develop and implement a strategic security plan to protect critical power transmission lines across the country from vandals and other criminals.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion during Thursday’s plenary session by Rep. Sani Umar Bala.