KEY POINTS
- TCN restored the 330kV Kainji-Birnin Kebbi line on October 1.
- The transmission line was out of service for nearly a month after a tower collapsed.
- Engineers installed an emergency tower to resume electricity transmission.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has restored the 330kV Kainji-Birnin Kebbi single-circuit transmission line after nearly a month of disruption caused by the collapse of a transmission tower.
The restoration, completed on Thursday, October 1, 2026, is expected to improve electricity transmission to areas affected by the outage, which began on September 7.
In a statement issued on Thursday, TCN said the line was returned to service at 5:24 p.m. following the installation of an Emergency Restoration System (ERS) tower at the affected location in Yauri.
The company said its engineers worked continuously to complete the restoration and reconnect the transmission line to the national grid as quickly and safely as possible.
According to TCN, the restoration process involved several technical operations to ensure the safe and reliable resumption of electricity transmission.
The company said the work included dismantling and decommissioning the collapsed transmission tower, aligning and preparing the conductors and skywire, and erecting an Emergency Restoration System tower to replace the damaged infrastructure.
Additional technical and safety procedures were also carried out to ensure that the transmission line could resume operations without compromising the stability of the network.
TCN explained that the deployment of the emergency tower enabled engineers to restore the line without waiting for the construction and installation of a permanent replacement tower, helping to reduce the duration of the disruption.
The company said its technical teams worked round the clock throughout the restoration process to minimise the impact of the outage on electricity consumers in the affected areas.
Outage Disrupted Electricity Transmission
The collapse of the transmission tower on September 7 forced the shutdown of the Kainji-Birnin Kebbi 330kV line, disrupting electricity transmission along the affected route for nearly four weeks.
The outage required emergency intervention by TCN engineers, who had to remove the damaged infrastructure and install a temporary restoration system before electricity transmission could resume.
The Kainji-Birnin Kebbi line forms part of Nigeria’s high-voltage transmission network, which transports electricity from generation facilities to distribution networks serving homes, businesses and industries.
The restoration of the line is expected to improve transmission capacity and network operations in the areas affected by the disruption, although the actual impact on electricity supply to individual consumers will also depend on generation levels, grid conditions and distribution network performance.
TCN expressed appreciation to electricity consumers in the affected areas for their patience and understanding throughout the period of the outage.
The company acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the disruption and said its engineers remained committed to maintaining a stable, safe and reliable national transmission network.
It reiterated its commitment to responding promptly to infrastructure failures and undertaking the necessary maintenance and emergency repairs to minimise disruptions to electricity transmission across the country.
