Three transmission towers collapse in Nasarawa following storm

Three transmission towers have collapsed along the Karu-Keffi-Akwanga 132kV transmission line, disrupting bulk electricity supply to 33kV feeders serving parts of Keffi and Akwanga in Nasarawa State.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the incident occurred during rainy and windy conditions on Wednesday.

According to the company, the collapse of Towers T78, T79 and T80 forced it to isolate the affected transmission line, leaving all 33kV outgoing feeders at the 132/33kV Keffi and 132/33kV Akwanga transmission substations unavailable.

TCN said the incident occurred at about 4:06pm on Wednesday when the 132kV Karu-Keffi-Akwanga Single Circuit Transmission Line tripped on overcurrent relay protection.

The statement read, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby informs the public that all 33kV outgoing feeders at the 132/33kV Keffi and 132/33kV Akwanga Transmission Substations are currently unavailable following the collapse of Towers T78, T79 and T80 along the Karu-Keffi-Akwanga 132kV Transmission Line corridor. At about 1606hrs yesterday, Wednesday, 7th October 2026, during rainy and windy conditions, the 132kV Karu-Keffi-Akwanga Single Circuit Transmission Line tripped on overcurrent relay protection.”

It said investigations conducted after the trip revealed that three transmission towers had collapsed along the line corridor.

“Investigations revealed that three transmission towers have collapsed. TCN promptly isolated for safety,” the company said.

The development means that electricity distribution companies cannot nominate load on the affected feeders until the damaged transmission infrastructure is repaired and bulk power supply restored.

TCN explained that its engineers had already been deployed to the affected location to determine the extent of the damage and the materials and other requirements needed to begin restoration work.

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“TCN engineers are currently on site to assess the extent of the damage to enable them to determine the requirements needed to commence restoration activities,” the statement said.

The company did not give a timeline for the restoration of the affected feeders, stressing that the duration would depend on the outcome of the technical assessment and the repair requirements.

The disruption highlights the vulnerability of electricity supply infrastructure to severe weather conditions, particularly where transmission lines and towers form critical links between generating power and distribution networks.

Transmission substations receive electricity from the national grid and transfer it to distribution companies through lower-voltage feeders for delivery to homes, businesses and other customers. Damage to a major transmission line can therefore affect several communities even when generation capacity is available elsewhere on the grid.

TCN apologised to customers affected by the incident and said it was working to restore normal supply as quickly as possible.

“The Company regrets the inconvenience this development will cause electricity customers taking supply from substations affected by the tower incident,” it said.

“Please bear with us as we make every effort to ensure that necessary repairs are completed as quickly as possible to enable the restoration of bulk power supply.”

TCN added that it would provide further updates as restoration efforts progressed.