The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported a decline in power supply in Gombe due to the vandalism and destruction of two transmission towers, T377 and T378, along the Gombe – Damaturu 330kV transmission line on February 23, 2024.
In a statement addressed to Channels Television and endorsed by the Commission’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, it was disclosed that vandals assaulted the facility, the Gombe – Damaturu 330kV transmission line, around 9:35 PM on Friday, resulting in a disruption of the line’s operation.
Following preliminary assessments, TCN reported that engineers from the Bauchi regional office attempted to restore the line, but it experienced another outage, prompting the deployment of linesmen and security personnel to locate the fault.
Subsequently, the team identified the cause as the collapse of two towers, T377 and T378.
Meanwhile, TCN stated that it had made arrangements to provide temporary electricity supply to Damaturu from the Potiskum Transmission Substation.
“Meanwhile, arrangements are underway to mobilise contractors that will re-erect the vandalised transmission towers and restring the 330kV line affected by the incident,” she said.
According to Mbah, TCN condemned the act of sabotage, and is again calling on relevant authorities to intensify efforts in the protection of power infrastructures.
“We are committed to working diligently to expedite the restoration process and minimise the impact of this unfortunate incident on power supply to the affected areas,” the statement said.
The occurrence follows a recent period of reduced power supply nationwide, caused by either partial or complete collapse of the national grid.