The Transmission Company of Nigeria has reported that Tower T99 along the Ughelli-Benin 330 kilovolt transmission line collapsed as a result of vandalism, disrupting bulk power evacuation from Transcorp Power Plc .
Mrs Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday, explaining that the incident was discovered during a line patrol at Coconut Village, Effurun Local Government Area, Warri, Delta State, following a line trip .
Upon inspection by TCN’s linesman, it was observed that the fallen tower had some of its bracing members vandalised and carted away, which led to its collapse. The adjoining towers, T100 and T101, were also vandalised, though they remained standing .
As a result of the vandalism, there is a temporary disruption in the evacuation of bulk power supply from Transcorp Power Plc to the national grid through the Benin 330 kV transmission line .
TCN has commenced mobilisation of resources to facilitate the reconstruction, restoration, and reinforcement of the vandalised towers and affected transmission line as soon as possible .
Mbah reiterated that vandalism poses a serious threat to the stability of the nation’s transmission system and urged host communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around transmission installations to security operatives or the nearest TCN office .
“The fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure is a collective responsibility. We call on all stakeholders to join hands in protecting these critical national assets from further attacks,” she stated .
