The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has suffered another attack on its Owerri/Ahoada 132kV Towers 145 to 149 and 201 to 218 located at Elele, Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State by vandals.
A spokesperson for TCN, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement, said the incident took place on 15th February 2024.
Mbah stated that different accessories were carted away by the vandals.
Among them specifically was Tower 208, an angle tower that nearly led to the collapse of three more towers along the line route.
Also, the TCN disclosed that Tower 70 along the 330kV Gwagwalada-Katampe Transmission Line was vandalised with the tower standing precariously on the ground.
The incident occurred on the 26th of February, 2024, at about 11.32 pm.
At the said time, the Gwagwalada-Katampe Transmission line tripped at Gwagwalada Transmission Substation and trial reclosure by TCN Operators failed, necessitating a physical patrol of the line.
The TCN Lines and Patrol team discovered that the four tower footings of Tower 70 were vandalized.
This led to the destruction of the tower legs, causing the tower to stand on the ground, supported by conductors. This has reduced bulk power supply flexibility and the volume of power into Abuja by 250MW, Mbah said.
Meanwhile, TCN has mobilized personnel to the site of the incident and has commenced an repair of the damaged tower and its associated equipment.
