Towers’ collapse plunges Rivers, Bayelsa into darkness

The Transmission Company of Nigeria on Thursday announced that four towers along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV Double Circuit line have been vandalised.

The affected towers, T171 to T174, were compromised, which led to their collapse at approximately 6:23 pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

The development indicates that the power supply to the Ahoda, Gbarain, and Yenagoa 132kV transmission substations has been disrupted, affecting some parts of Rivers State and the entire Bayelsa State.

Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Thursday, the TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said investigations have confirmed that the towers’ collapse was a direct result of vandalism.

The statement read, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria regrets to inform the public that four of its towers along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV Double Circuit line have been vandalised, resulting in their collapse.

“The towers were discovered after a failed trial reclosure that prompted a subsequent patrol. Investigations confirmed that the towers’ collapse was a direct result of vandalism.

“This incident has disrupted power supply to the Ahoda, Gbarain, and Yenagoa 132kV transmission substations, affecting some parts of Rivers State and the entire Bayelsa State.

“The affected towers, T171 to T174, were compromised, which led to their collapse at approximately 6:23 pm on Tuesday, 11th March.”

While condemning the act, Mbah said a team of engineers, led by the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, Emmanuel Apka, had visited the site to assess the extent of the damage.

“TCN is making frantic efforts to mobilise personnel and materials for the repair of the vandalised towers so that the bulk power supply can be restored to the affected states.

“We condemn this act of vandalism, which continues to undermine efforts made to put in place a robust transmission grid.

“We are again calling on host communities to join us in the urgent fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure,” she said.

In another development, the commission said it has inaugurated a Network Monitoring System Development Committee to enhance grid stability and mitigate power system disturbances.

At the committee’s inauguration held on Thursday, the Executive Director of Independent System Operations, Nafisat Ali, highlighted the importance of this initiative.

The committee’s primary objective is to design and implement an advanced monitoring system equipped with integrated data analysis and real-time operational awareness capabilities to ensure the optimization of generation and transmission resources in our grid operations.

She noted that the System Operator is responsible for managing the entire power system network, which includes planning and monitoring operations.

However, the current manual operation poses challenges in terms of visibility and tracking the activities of various stakeholders. Nafisat mentioned that the increasing complexity of the power system necessitates the development of a comprehensive Network Monitoring System.

The Committee Chairman, Ojo Oladeji, who is also the Assistant General Manager (Research) at ISO, noted that TCN’s in-house engineers have proficiently maintained the system with locally developed solutions.

He also mentioned that the committee intends to leverage the capabilities of Phase Measuring Units along with existing IoT data to meet its goals.

The eight-member committee will employ domestic technologies, including the Internet of Things, to develop the Network Monitoring System. This system will be operational before the completion of the ongoing work on the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System and will subsequently serve as a backup.

The comprehensive deployment of IoT throughout the grid network, coupled with the integration of artificial intelligence tools across the generation, transmission, and distribution of data processing, will significantly enhance the project’s success.