The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported that its linesmen have identified the fault responsible for the power outage on the Ugwuaji-Apir 330-kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line.
On Tuesday, TCN announced that a power outage had affected the northeast, northwest, and parts of the north-central regions following the tripping of the 330 kV Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 around 4:53 am due to a fault. The outage, however, occurred on Monday.
Providing an update on Wednesday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, revealed that the fault was located in the Igumale area of Benue state.
According to Mbah, the fault was traced to a snapped 330kV transmission line in the swampy forest of Igumale.
“A team of linesmen from the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has discovered the fault on the Ugwuaji – Apir 330KV Double Circuit transmission line at about 5 pm this evening, in the Igumale area of Benue State,” the statement reads. “The fault area of the transmission line, which measures about one span, was found to be a snapped 330kV transmission line located in the swampy forest of Igumale.”
Following the discovery, Mbah said that preparations are underway to gather the necessary equipment and materials for TCN to begin repair work at the site on Thursday.
“Due to the difficult and swampy nature of the terrain, TCN would require a bulldozer and other materials for the repair works, which will be moved from the Enugu Regional office of TCN to the site of the incident,” she explained. “A Hiab vehicle would also be moved to Igumale to help TCN properly tension the transmission line.”
Mbah further disclosed that previous efforts by two teams to locate the cause of the forced outage had been unsuccessful until Wednesday evening.
She reassured the public of TCN’s commitment to resolving the issue promptly, noting that the company is swiftly organizing the necessary materials for the repair work.
