Abuja residents have been notified of a planned 15-day power outage from Monday, January 6 to 20, 2025.
This announcement was made in a statement signed by Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on Friday.
The outage is necessitated by the Federal Capital Development Agency’s (FCDA) road dualization project along the Apo axis.
According to TCN, “eight number 132kV and 33kV towers will be relocated along the Kukwaba/Apo 132kV line (Outer Southern Expressway route). This relocation work will necessitate a planned power outage from Monday, 6th January to Monday, 20th January 2025 from 9 am to 4 pm daily, which is the estimated duration for the dismantling and construction of the towers as well as restringing of the power cables that would enable resumption of bulk power supply to the Apo Transmission Substation from Gwagwalada Substation.”
This initiative, the statement says, is essential to facilitate the expansion and modernization of the Outer Southern Expressway, a project expected to significantly improve transportation efficiency and enhance urban development in the capital city.
Maraba, Nyanya, Masaka, Others Affected
The areas affected by this planned outage, according to the TCN statement, include Kubwa, Karu, Maraba, Nyanya, Masaka, Keffi, Kukwaba, and Apo Mechanic.
- It will also impact parts of the Lugbe, Trademore Estate, Pyakasa, Sabon Lugbe, Chika, and Alaita axis. Customers of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) in these locations will experience electricity rationing during the specified period.
- The relocation of the transmission towers is critical for the successful completion of the Outer Southern Expressway road project, an initiative aimed at improving traffic flow and infrastructure in the capital city.
TCN, however, expressed regret over the temporary inconvenience this outage will cause, stating, “While the relocation of the transmission towers is a necessity for the road completion project, TCN apologizes for the inconvenience this planned power outage will cause and assures that power supply will be restored as soon as the towers relocation and cable stringing are completed.”
- Last week, the TCN informed the public that Abuja residents will experience temporary power outages this weekend due to essential maintenance work at two critical transmission substations.
- According to TCN, these planned activities were designed to enhance the operational efficiency and reliability of the power infrastructure in the affected areas.
The maintenance schedule commenced on Saturday, December 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., during which TCN engineers undertook technical servicing on a 60MVA power transformer and its associated switchgears at the Gwagwalada 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation.
