The Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) says that an inferno caused by a vandalised pipeline along Isheri Olofin, off Igbando – LASU expressway of Lagos State, has caused massive damage to 330 Kilo Volt (kV) Ikeja-West Akangba transmission line 1.
Mrs Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager,Pubic Affairs made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.
Mbah said that the inferno burned off a large portion of the conductor.
She said the inferno also triggered a resistant pull on the high-tension towers along the line route causing five of them to collapse.
“The incident which is estimated to have occurred at about 00.29 in the early hours of today, burnt a wide portion of the 330kV transmission line which wheels 145 Mega Watts (MW} of bulk power to the Akangba Substation.
“The transmission towers affected are the two closest to the site of the incident and three across the Lagos Canal.
“As a result of the incident, there is a major reduction of bulk power wheeled to TCN’s 330/132/33kV Akangba Transmission Substation in Lagos.
However, due to the fact that the substation takes supply from two different 330kV transmission lines, with the second being the redundant line,”she said.
Mbah said that TCN would rearrange bulk electricity transmitted on that line route to the second 330kV previously carrying 59MW.
She said that TCN was successfully back-feeding the substations affected by the towers collapse, while the engineers are patrolling the second 330kV transmission line .
“Which tripped as a result of the incident, to ensure it has no fault before it is energised.
“Once it is energised, supply will be restored to all the substations affected by the incident from the second 330kV transmission line, as the load carried by the burnt 330kV line will now be transferred to the second line,”she said.
Mbah said that incidents such as this was a major setback to TCN’s concerted efforts in implementing its grid expansion and stability programme under its well-articulated Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion and Rehabilitation Programme.
According to her, the re-erection of five towers and restringing of the 330kV transmission line is a major project that costs a lot of money and will take a while to complete.
She said that TCN was appealing to Nigerians to desist from activities such as oil bunkering, and other destructive tendencies, as they all have very far-reaching negative effects on the nation at large.
“The issue of protecting our national assets is imperative and must be taken very seriously so that the stability of the nation’s network and the development of the nation is not compromised.
