…As Vandals Disrupt Repair Work On TCN’s Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Line
By Charles Ebi And ABAH ADAH, Abuja
Generating Companies, GenCos, in Nigeria have expressed grave concern over the incessant collapse of the national grid as being experienced in recent times, and underutilised capacity, saying they causes them huge, multi-dimensional loss capable of crippling business.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, MD/CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, APGC, Dr. Joy Ogaji, made this known on Thursday in Abuja, while speaking at a one-day workshop organised by the association to update journalists covering the power sector to enable them report, especially as it concerns the GenCos, from an informed point of view.
According to her, GenCos bear the burnt of grid collapse or instability, or whatever nomenclature is used to describe it as it has a very devastating effect on the hydro and thermal machinery, leading to technical and commercial losses.
Dr Ogaji noted the forced shutdown and disruptions that usually come with grid collapse, resulting in equipment damage and substantial revenue losses for GenCos in addition to the lingering issue of capacity underutilisation pose a significant threat to Nigeria’s power sector.
“Technically, grid collapse can cause catastrophic damage to generators, transformers, and other critical infrastructure, leading to prolonged downtime and costly repairs.submitted that addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts from government, regulatory bodies, and the power sector to improve infrastructure, enforce maintenance protocols, and ensure financial viability for GenCos”, she said.
Putting into consideration that the weakness of any segment of the industry value chain could trigger grid collapse, as agreed by stakeholders at the workshop, Ogaji said, “Given the frequency of grid collapses in the country and the impact of it on our business we have thought it wise to provide clarification on how it affects our businesses.
“We, therefore, need to make every effort to efficiently manage all stages of value chain with intentional focus on maximizing efficiency in the entire electricity chain”.
Collaborating the APGA’s position, an expert, an industry expert, Prof. Stephen Ogaji, said the frequent shutdown and startup instructions from the National Control Centre ,NCC, and grid collapse (Turbine Trip) had resulted in huge damage to equipment that requires millions of dollars to fix, energy and revenue losses to the sector, especially the generation companies.
He, therefore, recommended that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, approves the procurement of ancillary services that provide secondary controls, spinning reserve, while the system operator should strive to complete and commission the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, SCADA, system project to enable them to oversee all the power systems properly.
He also urged the system operator to put in effect the earlier proposed Generation Dispatch Tool, GDT, and implement and enforce all the provisions of the Grid Code.
The Grid Collapse has become a recurring decimal in the country in recent times. This year alone, the grid has collapsed about 12 times, according to a record.
The World Bank data on countries with the most electricity outages in Africa showed that in 2019, Nigeria suffered outages for 191 days out of 365.
The economic cost of power shortages in Nigeria is estimated at around $28 billion annually equivalent to two percent (2%) of the country’s Gross Domestic Product ,GDP.
Record from Kainji and Jebba HydroPower Plants showed that the two GenCos lost over N30.55 billion to grid failure from 2022 through 2024.
Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria ,TCN, has reported another case of vandalism on its Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, further disrupting repair efforts following a previous attack.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs.
The company disclosed that the latest attack occurred on November 19, affecting towers 29 to 31. The vandals stole approximately one-third of the conductor, hampering ongoing repair work that was already 85% complete.
A TCN team led by Mr. Emmanuel Akpa, the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, inspected the damage, revealing that the vandalism likely occurred at night.
To mitigate further theft, local security has been deployed to the affected site in Ula Ikata, Ahoada East Local Government Area. Additionally, the line will be energised from the Ahoada end as a preventive measure.
“Efforts to replace the stolen 250mm conductor are currently underway despite the challenges posed by difficult terrain and flooding”, Mbah stated.
Mbah emphasized the urgency of addressing the growing problem of vandalism and theft affecting Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
“These incidents significantly hamper the expansion and stability of the national grid. We call on the public, security operatives, and local communities to be vigilant in safeguarding power installations”, she said.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria ,TCN, has reported multiple incidents of vandalism and structural collapses. Earlier in November, another attack was recorded on transmission towers in Okada and Ofosu communities along the 330kV Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho lines. A total of 31 towers were affected, with critical components stolen, forcing TCN engineers to initiate emergency repairs to prevent further power disruptions.
In the North-East region. The company revealed that tower T290 on the Jos-Gombe 330kV transmission line collapsed during the cable stringing process, despite being one of four newly erected towers meant to restore power.
In a separate incident, TCN reported vandalism on tower T540 along the Makurdi-Jos 330kV double circuit transmission line, with parts of the structure removed. Although the tower remains standing, emergency repairs have been commissioned to prevent its collapse.
Three towers on the 330kV Lokoja-Gwagwalada transmission line—T306, T307, and T308—were destroyed on November 9, 2024. TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah confirmed the theft of two spans of aluminum conductor from line one, disrupting bulk power transmission along the route.
The issue of vandalism continues to plague Nigeria’s power sector, as confirmed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, which reported that vandalism caused 13% of power-related accidents between Q1 and Q3 of 2023.
