The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced the shutdown of the 330kV DC transmission lines, plunging the North East, North West, and parts of North Central Nigeria into a blackout. The disruption occurred due to a fault on the Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 & 2, leading to a forced outage on Monday.
In a statement released on Tuesday by TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the company explained that the 330kV Ugwaji–Makurdi Line 2 tripped at approximately 4:53 a.m., transferring 243 MW to Line 1. However, just minutes later, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total loss of 468 MW.
“At 4:53 a.m., the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped, and the 243 MW load on that line was transferred to Line 1. At 4:58 a.m., Line 1 also tripped, causing a complete outage. Attempts to restore the lines at 5:15 a.m. and 5:17 a.m. were unsuccessful, as they tripped again on the same relay indication,” Mbah stated.
Following the incident, TCN deployed two teams of linesmen—one from the Apir Transmission Sub-region and another from Enugu Transmission—tasked with tracing the fault along the 215-kilometer route, which includes 245 transmission towers. The Apir team, despite patrolling challenging terrains, including the River Benue area, was unable to locate the fault on Monday and continued their efforts on Tuesday.
Efforts to patrol the lines from the Enugu Region were delayed due to a sit-at-home directive in the South East on October 21st and 22nd, 2024, which hindered the team’s movement and affected the refueling of patrol vehicles for the long-distance inspection. However, security personnel were deployed to accompany the team, which began fault tracing early on Tuesday.
While TCN has managed to restore power through the 132kV transmission line from New Haven to Apir, the 330kV lines remain out of service, causing significant power shortages across the Northern region. Additionally, the TCN Shiroro-Mando transmission line is also down due to security concerns, exacerbating the outage.
Mbah assured the public that TCN is working relentlessly to identify the cause of the fault and restore power. “Our patrol teams have faced difficult terrain, including swamps, rivers, and insecure areas, which have delayed the process. However, with the help of security operatives, we are continuing the search to resolve the issue,” she added.
The company apologized to the affected states and electricity consumers for the inconvenience caused, emphasizing that every effort is being made to restore bulk power supply as soon as possible.
