A major blackout has struck parts of Kano and Kaduna states following the destruction of two transmission towers belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The towers, identified as T133 and T136 along the 330-kilovolt Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines, were vandalized, plunging affected areas into darkness.
TCN’s spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Friday, detailing the extent of the damage and the measures being taken to restore power. According to Mbah, the Shiroro Regional office reported that the first transmission line tripped, and as efforts were underway to restore it, the second line also went down. This prompted the discovery of the destroyed towers.
Mbah further revealed that the cables of both towers were severely damaged at multiple points, leading to the deployment of local vigilantes to patrol the area. The TCN is currently preparing to deploy its newly acquired Emergency Restoration System (ERS) to the site to temporarily restore power while reconstruction of the towers is pending.
“We have mobilized efforts to ensure temporary bulk power supply through the 330kV Kaduna-Jos transmission line while work on the damaged towers is ongoing,” Mbah said. She added that an aerial survey was conducted in collaboration with security agencies due to the region’s susceptibility to banditry, which poses a significant threat to TCN’s infrastructure.
The damaged Shiroro-Kaduna lines are critical to power transmission in the North West region, with each line having the capacity to carry 600 megawatts of electricity. The vandalism presents a significant challenge to the transmission of bulk power in the region, causing disruption to homes, businesses, and essential services.
Mbah assured the public that TCN engineers are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. “We are committed to re-erecting the towers and restoring full transmission capacity to the region,” she stated.
This blackout follows closely on the heels of a recent collapse of the national grid, further highlighting the vulnerability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure to external threats and systemic challenges.
