The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has sounded a warning over the growing threat posed by vandals and illegal miners to the stability of the national electricity grid.

According to Dr. Thomas Inugonum, TCN?s General Manager (Transmission) for the Enugu region, the continued vandalism and illegal excavation of sand and laterite around transmission towers could lead to catastrophic grid collapses.

He noted that if urgent action is not taken, the grid will remain vulnerable due to the imminent collapse of weakened towers and transmission lines.

Dr. Inugonum issued the warning during a press tour of New Centenary City Estate in Enugu, where illegal miners had reportedly dug around the base of high-voltage towers, exposing them to the risk of falling during storms or strong winds.

An excavator was seen at the site, which had been used to mine sand and laterite dangerously close to the towers.

The GM expressed disappointment that even the stone pitching meant to protect the tower bases had been removed.

He warned that a repeat of the blackout that left the northern region in darkness for weeks three months ago is possible if these destructive activities are not halted immediately.

He said: ?If you look, it speaks for itself. We?re along the right of way of a very important transmission line, where Enugu region receives power from Ikot Ekpene, Port Harcourt region. These two lines you see here now are the four lines from Ugwuaji to Ikot Ekpene.

?On the other left, we have New Haven-Onitsha power line. You find out that the corridor or right of way is already threatened by this land they?re mining. You can see the way they?re excavating sand everywhere up till the base of our towers. All of them are like this. So, it is a threat to the particular line that even takes power to the North.

?In the other one we showed you, people excavated and even removed the stone pitching around the right of way on the base of the tower.

?This is really disheartening. In fact, I?m really disappointed and disturbed. I don?t know how we?re going to continue with this type of problem.

?You can see the illegal miners running away the moment they sighted us. So, they know what they?re doing. That?s why we?re still calling on the state government to assist us.

?Let the civil defense people do their work. The infrastructure has been handed over to them for safeguards. They should come here to patrol the line because if it happens now, there would be no light in the entire North.

?I don?t know what we?re going to do now because the excavation is too much. The consequence of this is with time whenever there?s a heavy wind or thunderstorm, it strikes on these towers and the earthen will no longer hold the towers, thereby forcing it to collapse. If it does that, there will be outage in that region.

?It is against the law that the infrastructure that has been erected by the government is being destabilized by people?.

Meanwhile, a power substation constructed at Okigwe to improve electricity around Okigwe and Orlu senatorial zones of Imo State, has been ripped open by vandals, who have stolen everything inside it and leaving the carcass.

The TCN GMT Enugu region, Dr. Inugonum, who disclosed this to newsmen at a press conference, said the over N20 billion substation, which was awaiting energization after it was 90 percent completed, was targeted by vandals, thus frustrating power improvement initiative of TCN in the area.

Dr. Inugonum disclosed that it was because of this that the TCN had hastened to energise all the completed power substations in Enugu region.

He said: ?At Ninth Mile, we had to energise it by all means to avoid a repeat of what happened at Okigwe. In Okigwe, we had a fully completed power substation, awaiting energization. But it was ripped open by vandals. Everything was taken. As we speak now, you can?t get any useful thing from that substation. Everything has been stolen. And that?s a station that was almost 90 percent completed.

?As at that time, the government spent over N2.8 billion to build it up to that level. Now, you can?t build that station with anything less than N20 billion. That?s to show you why I don?t want Ninth Mile Enugu and Amasiri in Ebonyi substations to face similar problem of vandalisation?. (The Nation)

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