Blackout as 4 transmission towers collapse

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported the collapse of four transmission towers on the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV Double Circuit line following an act of vandalism.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, explained that the incident involved towers T171 to T174, which went down around 6:23 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to Mbah, the collapse was discovered during an inspection prompted by a failed trial reclosure — an automatic process where a power line is re-energized after a temporary fault.

“Investigations confirmed that the towers’ collapse was a direct result of vandalism. This incident has disrupted power supply to the Ahoda, Gbarain, and Yenagoa 132kV transmission substations, affecting some parts of Rivers State and the entire Bayelsa,” she said.

Following the discovery, a team of engineers led by Mr. Emmanuel Apka, TCN’s General Manager for the Port Harcourt Region, visited the site to evaluate the damage.

Mbah noted that efforts were underway to gather the necessary personnel and materials for the restoration of the damaged infrastructure.

“TCN condemns this act of vandalism, which continues to undermine efforts made to put in place a robust transmission grid. We are again calling on host communities to join us in the urgent fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure,” she said.

The company assured residents in the affected areas that every effort would be made to restore bulk power supply as quickly as possible.