Power Outage in Bayelsa and Parts of Rivers State Due to Vandalism: TCN’s Response and Grid Enhancement Initiatives
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced a significant power disruption affecting Bayelsa State and parts of Rivers State due to the vandalism of four transmission towers. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, involved the collapse of towers T171 to T174 along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV Double Circuit line. This act of sabotage resulted in the disruption of power supply to the Ahoda, Gbarain, and Yenagoa 132kV transmission substations, plunging the entire Bayelsa State and sections of Rivers State into darkness. The TCN, while condemning the destructive act, immediately dispatched a team of engineers to assess the damage and initiate restoration efforts. The company emphasized its commitment to restoring power as quickly as possible and called upon communities to collaborate in protecting critical power infrastructure from further vandalism.
The TCN’s investigation confirmed that the tower collapse was a direct consequence of vandalism, a recurring challenge that undermines the company’s efforts to strengthen the national grid. The collapsed towers, integral components of the transmission network, were deliberately compromised, leading to their eventual failure. The incident highlights the vulnerability of power infrastructure to acts of sabotage and underscores the need for enhanced security measures and community involvement in safeguarding these vital assets. The TCN’s prompt response, including the dispatch of a team led by the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, demonstrated the company’s dedication to swiftly addressing the outage and minimizing its impact on affected communities.
In its statement, the TCN reiterated its commitment to mobilizing the necessary resources, both human and material, to repair the damaged towers and restore power supply to the affected areas. The company acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the outage and expressed its determination to expedite the restoration process. The incident underscores the vital role that transmission infrastructure plays in ensuring a stable and reliable power supply and highlights the detrimental consequences of vandalism on communities and the economy. The TCN’s appeal for community support in protecting power infrastructure reflects the shared responsibility in ensuring a dependable power supply.
Beyond the immediate response to the vandalism incident, the TCN also announced a proactive measure to enhance grid stability and mitigate future disruptions: the inauguration of a Network Monitoring System Development Committee. This committee, comprising experts in power systems engineering, is tasked with designing and implementing an advanced monitoring system to optimize grid operations. The system will provide real-time operational awareness and integrated data analysis capabilities, enabling more effective management of generation and transmission resources. This initiative reflects the TCN’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve grid performance and resilience.
The Network Monitoring System, a critical component of the TCN’s modernization efforts, aims to address the limitations of the current manual operation system, which lacks comprehensive visibility and tracking of stakeholder activities. The increasing complexity of the power system demands a more sophisticated approach to monitoring and control, hence the need for a robust and integrated system. The committee will utilize cutting-edge technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence, to develop a system capable of providing real-time insights into grid operations. This data-driven approach will enable proactive identification and mitigation of potential disruptions, enhancing grid stability and reliability.
The TCN emphasized that the Network Monitoring System will be developed using in-house expertise and locally sourced technologies. This approach not only promotes self-reliance but also ensures that the system is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the Nigerian power grid. The integration of IoT devices throughout the grid network will provide a comprehensive view of system performance, while artificial intelligence tools will analyze the vast amounts of data generated to identify trends, predict potential issues, and optimize resource allocation. The system is intended to be operational before the completion of the ongoing work on the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and will serve as a backup to the SCADA system, further enhancing grid resilience. The TCN’s multi-pronged approach to grid modernization reflects its commitment to ensuring a stable and reliable power supply for the nation.
