The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced the restoration of bulk power supply to Bayelsa and parts of Rivers states through its 132 kilovolt (kV) Owerri-Ahoada transmission line, following weeks of outage caused by vandalism.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, who confirmed that the line was successfully reconnected to the national grid on Thursday, April 11, at approximately 6 p.m.
The restoration marks the culmination of an intensive reconstruction effort after four critical transmission towers—specifically Towers 71 to 74—collapsed due to vandalism on March 11.
The collapse had severely disrupted power supply to Bayelsa State and parts of Rivers State, leaving many communities in darkness for weeks.
“With this restoration, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) is now able to resume supply of electricity to Bayelsa and parts of Rivers. These areas have been experiencing outages since the incident,” Mbah said.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the nation’s transmission infrastructure and ensuring the delivery of reliable electricity across Nigeria. Mbah also used the opportunity to call on host communities to safeguard critical power assets within their vicinity.
“We appeal to communities to work with TCN in protecting national assets. The continued sabotage of power infrastructure undermines the collective progress of the country and places unnecessary hardship on innocent citizens,” she added.
Backstory
In March, TCN announced that four of its towers along the Owerri-Ahoada 132 kilovolt (kV ) Double Circuit line have been vandalised, resulting in their collapse.
Mbah said that the affected towers, T171 to T174, were compromised, which led to their collapse at approximately 6:23 pm on Tuesday.
According to TCN, the towers were discovered after a failed trial reclosure that prompted a subsequent patrol.
A “reclosure” refers to the automatic re-energisation of a power line after a fault has been detected and the line has been temporarily de-energised.
Why this matters
The restoration of the Owerri-Ahoada line is significant, as it stabilizes power supply to key parts of the South-South region, which includes oil-producing areas vital to Nigeria’s economy. Extended blackouts in these regions have the potential to affect industrial output, public services, and general socioeconomic activities.
Industry experts have consistently highlighted the vulnerability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, particularly transmission lines, to acts of vandalism, theft, and sabotage. Such actions not only disrupt electricity supply but also incur huge financial costs in repairs and reconstruction.
