Five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi-Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line have collapsed following the removal and theft of critical structural components by vandals, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said.
The extensive damage was discovered during a routine joint patrol of the transmission line by TCN linesmen, a statement in Abuja by the organisation stated.
According to TCN, preliminary assessment showed that critical structural bracing members had been removed from Towers N9, N10, N11, N12, N13 and N15, resulting in the collapse of five of the affected towers.
The company said further inspection revealed that structural members had also been removed and stolen from seven other towers along the transmission corridor.
It explained that the affected towers had become structurally compromised and could collapse if urgent remedial action was not taken. TCN said it had reconfigured the network to prioritise electricity supply from Ibom Power in order to mitigate the impact of the incident on electricity consumers.
The company said its management was mobilising an urgent intervention to reconstruct the affected sections of the transmission line. It added that security agencies had been notified to support investigations and prevent further acts of vandalism along the transmission corridor.
TCN condemned the incident, describing it as an act of sabotage, and reiterated its commitment to maintaining a reliable national transmission grid.
Meanwhile, TCN’s Port Harcourt Region has commissioned a new 150MVA 330/132/33kV power transformer at its Afam IV Transmission Substation in Rivers State.
The transformer was commissioned, thereby increasing the substation’s transformation capacity from 120MVA to 240MVA.
The project is part of the ongoing TCN-World Bank power projects aimed at strengthening the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure and improving power supply.