KEY POINTS
- Fire damaged a major power transformer at a Katsina substation late Sunday
- Several neighbourhoods across Katsina metropolis are without electricity
- Kano DisCo says investigation and restoration work are underway
The Kano Electricity Distribution Company said on Monday that a fire at a key electricity substation damaged a power transformer, leaving parts of Katsina metropolis in the dark.
The distribution company said in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Sani Sani, that the fire damaged a 15MVA TR3 power transformer at the IBB Way Injection Substation. The event happened late on Sunday night and cut off power to nearby areas right away.
Kano DisCo said that the cause of the fire is still unknown. They also said that technical teams were sent to the site right after the fire to assess the damage and start work on restoring power.
Safety measures and affected areas
The company said that as a safety measure to protect lives and property while investigations are still going on, parts of the network that were connected to the damaged transformer were cut off.
The statement says that the power outage affects many areas of Katsina city, such as Kofar Kaura, Government Reserved Area, Dandagoro, parts of Kofar Marusa, Janbango, Kano Road, and nearby communities.
People who live in the affected areas said that power went out suddenly late on Sunday, and as of Monday evening, it had not yet been restored.
Kano DisCo said they were sorry for the trouble and asked customers to be patient while the repairs are made.
The company said that its engineers are looking into what caused the fire and how much damage it did to the transformer and other equipment. It also said that work to restore things would start as soon as possible after safety checks were done.
Electricity distribution companies in Nigeria have had to deal with the same problems over and over again, like old infrastructure, vandalism, and fires, which often leave customers without power for long periods of time.
Kano DisCo said it would keep giving updates as more information comes in and as progress is made on restoring supply.
