Blackouts Strike Northern Nigeria as TCN Announces Tripping of 330kV Transmission Line

By MUHAMMED DANBABA

Fault in Ugwaji–Apir Transmission Lines Causes Widespread Power Outages

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported significant power outages across the North East, North West, and parts of North Central Nigeria following the tripping of the 330kV DC transmission line. This disruption has left many areas without electricity.

Details of the Tripping Incident

In a statement released by TCN’s General Manager on Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the incident occurred due to a fault in the 330kV Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2. The tripping happened on Monday, leading to a forced power outage in the affected regions.

Mbah explained, “At approximately 4:53 AM, the Ugwuaji–Markurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped, transferring 243 MW to Line 1 on the same route. By 4:58 AM, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total loss of 468 MW. Attempts to restore both lines around 5:15 AM and 5:17 AM were unsuccessful, as they tripped immediately on the same relay indication.”

Ongoing Fault Tracing Efforts

In response to the outages, TCN dispatched two teams of linesmen—one from the Apir Transmission Sub-region and another from Enugu Transmission—to expedite fault tracing along the 215 km route, which includes 245 transmission towers.

Mbah noted that throughout Monday, the Apir team faced challenging terrains while searching for the fault, reaching as far as the River Benue but were unable to identify the cause of the tripping. Efforts continued into the following day.

The Enugu Region patrol team could not commence their search due to the “sit-at-home” directive in the South East for October 21st and 22nd, 2024, which hindered their operations and access to refueling for patrol vehicles.

“Arrangements were made for security operatives to guide the team, who have now started fault tracing,” Mbah added.

Current Status of Power Supply

While TCN has managed to restore supply to the 132kV transmission line from New Haven to Apir, the 330kV lines remain out of service, significantly affecting power supply in Northern Nigeria. Additionally, the TCN Shiroro-Mando transmission line is down due to security concerns, further exacerbating the power outage situation.

Mbah reassured that TCN is making every effort to trace the cause of the outage so that engineers can effect repairs and restore bulk power supply through both lines.

“We sincerely apologize to the government and electricity consumers in all affected states and acknowledge that our patrol teams would have continued their search into the night if not for the challenging terrain, which includes swamps, rivers, and insecure areas,” she stated.

Frequent National Grid Challenges

According to reports, Nigeria has experienced at least eight cases of national grid collapse in 2024 alone, highlighting ongoing challenges within the country’s power infrastructure.