Some parts of Gombe and Yobe states have been thrown into darkness following the collapse of a major transmission tower in Gombe, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has said.
The TCN, in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Dave Ifabiyi, on Monday, said the 132kv transmission tower number 29, located between Gombe, in Gombe State, and Potiskum in Yobe State, collapsed on Sunday despite the detailed remedial retention works carried out on its foundation.
The statement said the development was responsible for the power outage being experienced in Ashaka town and the Ashaka Cement Factory in Gombe State as well as Potiskum and environs in Yobe State, with a total loss of about 30 megawatts of electricity to the affected areas.
The company said severe flooding, which had persisted in the area, eroded the foundation of the transmission tower and resulted in its collapse.
According to the statement, the affected transmission tower is prone to erosion due to the terrain.
It stated that all remedial efforts were unable to prevent the flood from damaging the tower.
The TCN, however, said its engineering team was already at the site of the collapsed tower conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment of the facility, while trying to find a temporary solution to the problem.
“Efforts are in progress to construct a transmission line by-pass that will ensure temporary electricity supply to the affected areas within a very short period, as the reconstruction work on the collapsed tower would take a longer time to execute,” the statement said.