Christmas: Blackout looms as 5 electricity towers collapse in Lagos

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Friday, disclosed that the inferno caused by a vandalised pipeline along Isheri Olofin, off Igbando – LASU expressway of Lagos state, has caused massive damage to its 330kV Ikeja-West Akangba transmission line one, burning off a large portion of the conductor.

This, it said, had triggered a resistant pull on the high-tension towers along the line route causing five of them to collapse.

In a statement issued in Abuja by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, TCN said, the incident, which was estimated to have occurred at about 00.29 in the early hours of today, burnt a wide portion of the 330kV transmission line which wheels 145MW of bulk power to the Akangba Substation.

It added that the transmission towers affected are the two closest to the site of the incident and three across the Lagos Canal.

“As a result of the incident, there is a major reduction of bulk power wheeled to TCN’s 330/132/33kV Akangba Transmission Substation in Lagos, however, due to the fact that the substation takes supply from two different 330kV transmission lines, with the second being the redundant line, TCN will rearrange bulk electricity transmitted on that line route to the second 330kV previously carrying 59MW.

“Presently, TCN is successfully back-feeding the substations affected by the towers collapse, while the engineers are patrolling the second 330kV transmission line that tripped due to the incident, to ensure it has no fault before it is energized.

“Once it is energized, supply will be restored to all the substations affected by the incident from the second 330kV transmission line, as the load carried by the burnt 330kV line will now be transferred to the second line.

“This kind of incident is a major setback to the implementation of our grid expansion and stability under our well-articulated Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion and Rehabilitation Programme. This is because the re-erection of five towers and restringing of the 330kV transmission line is a major project that costs a lot of money and will take a while to complete”, the TCN said.

It, however, appealed to Nigerians to desist from illegal activities like oil bunkering and other destructive tendencies.

“TCN is by this appealing to Nigerians to desist from activities such as oil bunkering, and other destructive tendencies, as they all have very far-reaching negative effects on the nation at large. The issue of protecting our national assets is imperative. Protecting national assets is one that must be taken very seriously so that the stability of the nation’s network and the development of the nation is not compromised”, it warned.

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