The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has announced that its Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, which is currently under repair due to previous vandalism, gas again been attacked by Vandals.
According to the General Manager, Public Affairs of the Company, Ndidi Abah, the attack, which affected towers 29 to 31, resulted in the theft of approximately one-third of the conductor. According to her, a team of TCN engineers, led by Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region has conducted an inspection of the site.
The statement said Preliminary findings indicated that the incident occurred at night and In an attempt to prevent further theft while repair arrangements are being made, local security has been engaged at Ula Ikata in Ahoada East LGA to secure the site until repairs are completed.
It additionally, the line will be energized from the Ahoada end as a preventive measures as efforts to replace the stolen 250mm conductor are currently underway. TCN also said despite challenges posed by difficult terrain and flooding, the restringing of the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line is approximately 85% complete.
The company said its engineers from the Benin Sub-Region have initiated repairs to prevent the collapse of the affected towers and to avoid disruption of bulk power supply. It maintained that the incidents underscore the urgent need to combat the growing problem of vandalism and theft affecting Nigeria’s power infrastructure, just as it called on the public to support efforts to address these crimes, which have significantly hampered the expansion and stability of the national grid