TCN restores power supply to Birnin Gwari, Yauri
NAN-HE-14
Power
By Kingsley Okoye
Abuja, July 25, 2017 (NAN) The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Tuesday said its engineers successfully restored the collapsed transmission equipment, resulting into electricity supply to Birinin Gwari and Yauri in Kaduna and Kebbi states.
A statement by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs Department, Mrs Seun Olagunju, said that power supply was restored at about 5:10 p.m. to the affected areas on July 24 , after the collapse of tower No 183.
Olagunju said TCN’s 132kV transmission tower No 183, located between Tegina and Kontagora in Niger, had collapsed at about 7 a.m. on July 13.
She said that the collapse was due to severe flood caused by heavy rainfall, which eroded the base of the transmission tower.
According to her, the TCN’s engineering crew have been mobilised to the site of the incident to construct transmission line by-pass towers to ensure supply of electricity to the areas affected.
She said that the crew was still working to restore the primary circuit breaker damaged by angry youths in Tegina substation to enable power supply from the substation.
Power supply to Kontagora substation, she said, would also be restored when repairs were completed on the stations circuit breaker.
“TCN regrets inconveniences caused to electricity customers in Teguna, Kotangora, Birinin Gwari, Yauri and environs in Niger, Kaduna and Kebbi states.
“TCN will continue to evolve measures to help safeguard its installations against such natural disasters and further strengthened its transmission network,“ Olagunju said.
She said that TCN also commissioned a new 40MVA transformer at its 132/33kV transmission sub-station at Mayo-Belwa in Adamawa.
She said the substation, energised on July 11 by 12.10 p.m., was to improve power supply in the country.
Olagunju said: “With completion of the new station, transmission capacity in Yola sub-region has increased with about 32MW.
“The Mayo-Belwa 132/33kV substation connects Ngurore 33kV Feeder and Mayo-Belwa 33kV Feeder, thus extending power supply to Jada, Toungo, Ganye and several other towns and villages in Taraba State“.
Olagunju further said that TCN was working with the government of Kaduna State to construct two new 330kV substations in Kaduna and Zaria and three additional 132kV substations at Rigasa, Kakau and Jaji.
She said that the collaboration with the government also entailed the reconstruction of the Kaduna-Kano 330kV SC transmission line.
“The company is also collaborating with Kebbi, Kano, Ogun, Lagos, Bauchi Abia and Edo state governors among others, in implementing its flagship Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP),“ Olagunju said.
KC/IA
(Edited by Idris Abdulrahman)