TCN: Vandalism Causes Collapse of Tower T99 on Ughelli–Benin Power Line

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says vandalism led to the collapse of Tower T99 on the Ughelli/Benin 330kV transmission line.

In a statement released in Abuja, Ndidi Mbah, the agency’s General Manager of Public Affairs, said the incident was uncovered during a line patrol at Coconut Village in Effurun Local Government Area, Warri, Delta State, after a transmission line trip.

She noted that inspection showed the tower’s bracing components had been tampered with and removed, causing the structure to collapse. Adjacent towers, T100 and T101, were also affected by vandalism but did not fall.

“As a result, there is a temporary disruption in the evacuation of bulk power supply from Transcorp Power Plc to the national grid through the Benin 330 kV transmission line.

”However, TCN has commenced the mobilisation of resources to facilitate the reconstruction, restoration, and reinforcement of the vandalised towers and affected transmission line as soon as possible.

”We reiterate that vandalism poses a serious threat to the stability of the nation’s transmission system and urge host communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around transmission installations to security operatives or the nearest TCN office,” she said.

She emphasised that curbing vandalism of power infrastructure is a shared responsibility and called on stakeholders to work together to prevent further incidents.

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