en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Transmission Commission of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a power interruption in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe states, and the Gazua region of the Republic of Niger, due to scheduled maintenance at the Kumbotso 330kV substation on Sunday.
TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah confirmed this in a statement on Saturday. The outage will affect customers supplied by Kano Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Yola Electricity Distribution Company.
The maintenance is planned to allow TCN's contractor to continue upgrading the 330kV Bus II jumper and replace the existing 350mm² conductors with 800mm² conductors, aimed at strengthening the transmission network and improving power supply reliability. Consequently, customers of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), as well as some customers of Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), will not receive power supply. These customers are located in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Azare in Bauchi State, Nguru in Yobe State, and the Gazua region of the Republic of Niger.
Mr. Ali Sharifa, TCN's General Manager of Transmission Services, stated yesterday at a workshop for power sector journalists held in Keffi, Nasarawa State, that 2024 and 2025 have been the most challenging periods for TCN due to vandalism of transmission line infrastructure by non-state actors. He noted that 86 towers were vandalized in 2024, with 26 completely collapsing, plunging affected states into total darkness. In the first and second quarters of 2025, 42 acts of vandalism were recorded, affecting a total of 178 towers.
Sharifa explained that the primary consequence of vandalism is the disruption of normal power supply in Nigeria's electricity supply industry, as electricity generated by power plants cannot be transmitted to the distribution end. Other impacts include significant cost increases for the company due to repairs, equipment replacement, and enhanced security measures; grid expansion efforts being hindered by vandalism; and public safety concerns each time infrastructure is damaged.
In addition to the activities of vandals, Sharifa added that natural disasters have also hindered the free flow of electricity into the grid. TCN recently encountered this situation on the Kainji-Birnin Kebbi 330kV SC (International) line, where six towers (numbers T306, T307, T308, T365, T366, and T367) collapsed in May due to storms and heavy rain. In the same month, tower T137 on the Apir-Lafia-Jos 330kV DC line twisted due to storms and heavy rain, resulting in a partial collapse.
