Vandals have once again destroyed two rebuilt transmission towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
This setback disrupts the power supply and poses significant challenges for the region’s electricity infrastructure.
Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s Public Affairs General Manager, broke the news in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja. She said, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby states that two of its towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line have again been destroyed by vandals.”
The repeated vandalism of these essential towers threatens the stability and reliability of electricity transmission, potentially leading to prolonged outages that affect both residential and commercial activities in the area. This incident highlights the urgent need for improved security measures to protect critical infrastructure.
In response, TCN is assessing the extent of the damage and planning the necessary steps to restore the transmission line and mitigate future risks. The recurrence of such attacks emphasizes the ongoing challenges faced in maintaining a stable power supply in the region.
According to her, the incident is believed to have occurred around 10:15 pm on Tuesday night. At that time, the 150MVA power transformer at the Molai Substation tripped simultaneously with the 330kV transmission line that supplies bulk power to Maiduguri from the Damaturu Transmission Substation.
The spokesperson noted that following the line tripping, TCN engineers made several attempts to close the Molai-Damaturu line to restore bulk electricity transmission, but these efforts failed repeatedly.
Mbah reported that early yesterday, TCN line engineers, accompanied by security operatives, patrolled the area and discovered that towers 193 and 194 along the 330kV transmission line had been brought down using an explosive device. Fragments of the device were found scattered at the site of the incident.
