News Desk
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, on Friday visited Birnin Kebbi transmission substation to ascertain the actual cause that led to the fire outbreak and the level of damage.
This happened barely 24 hours after the national grid collapse was reported that resulted to loss of supply across the country.
Engr. Abdullaziz who was in company of the Executive Director Special Service Provider and the General Manager in-charge of Kaduna region, indicated that two transformers and a control room were affected as a result of the fire incident as stated in a video released by the GM Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah on Friday.
The Minister responding to journalists at the scene of the fire outbreak that affects Birnin Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, said it will take maximum of two weeks to get the substation operational again.
In his word: “Thursday night around almost 12 o’clock, we heard this bad news that there’s fire incidence in this very important substation. We have been communicating throughout night till when the fire was quenched around 7 o’clock in the morning.
“But I feel it’s better for me to come and see with my eyes what happened. That’s why myself and the Executive Director, Special Service Provider and the General Manager Kaduna region, we decided to come and see exactly what happened”.
On the exact cause of the incident, Engr. Abdullaziz said it is not conclude at a glance what happened but assured that investigation is still ongoing with expertists on ground to put together report of what happened eventually.
Speaking further, the Minister clarified: “Our priority is how to bring back light to the people of Kebbi State and neighbouring states. This station is also serving Sokoto not only Kebbi. First, we are going to back-feed Sokoto through Talatan Mafara, Zamfara State. Then coming here also, we have quickly mobilize our engineers and have even started opening the cables trenches to start work.
“We have a transformer here which was supplying Niger Republic, now it’s not supplying any of these places. In Birnin Kebbi, we are going to use that transformer to make sure people of Kebbi State receive light as quickly as possible”.
On the timeline to get the substation operational, he said: “Give us two weeks. Both within this two weeks, it’s going to be the arrangement of transformers and some other things but we are still looking at the possibility of back-feeding Birnin Kebbi, maybe from Sokoto, this can be done within three days. Our engineers will look at it properly. But for the permanent arrangement, that will take us two weeks.
The Minister therefore urged customers to exercise patient, saying although no one anticipated it, but it has occured and it will be fixed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna Electric in a statement signed by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, expressed displeasure over the power outage currently being experienced in the affected states, and sympathized with the management and staff of TCN over the unfortunate development.
Techrectory with Agency Report
