Northern states thrown into darkness as 330Kv circuit trips

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported a significant power outage affecting several regions in northern Nigeria, caused by a fault in its 330kV Ugwaji–Apir Double Circuit transmission lines 1 and 2.

In a statement on Tuesday, TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, explained that the fault has led to widespread power disruptions in communities across the North-east, North-west, and parts of North-central Nigeria.

“At approximately 4:53 am, the Ugwuaji–Markurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped and 243 MW on that line was transferred to Line 1 on the same route. At 4:58 am, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total loss of 468 MW. By around 5:15 am and 5:17 am Line 1 and Line 2 were tried, but they all tripped immediately on the same relay indication,” the TCN said.

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Following the incidents, the TCN said teams of linesmen have been dispatched to address the issue.

“One from the Apir Transmission Sub-region and another from the Enugu transmission to expedite fault tracing along the 215 km route, which includes 245 transmission towers.

“Throughout yesterday, the Apir team patrolled the line, navigating challenging terrains in search of the fault, reaching as far as the River Benue. They were unable to locate the cause of the tripping and have continued in the fault tracing early this morning.”