TCN orders erosion control measures on tower 94/ 98 Okpai – Onitsha

Usman Gur Mohammed, managing director/Chief executive officer, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has directed that immediate control measures be taken to curb the erosion threatening towers no 94 and 98 in one of the islands along the River Niger,

This directive came following an assessment visit by TCN management team to the erosion site on Sunday.

Towers 94 and 98 which are on the same line route of the Okpai -Onitsha 330kV double circuit line are considered to be part of one of the most critical lines in the Nigeria’s transmission grid network, linking the Agip (Okpai) 480MW power plant to Onitsha Transmission Station. The transmission line delivers about 450MW with very minimal interruption to the national grid.

Mohammed and his team, who were conducted round the erosion site by the General Manager (Transmission) Enugu Region, Geoffrey Nwokoye, expressed concern over the level of damage caused by the menace, especially, as it affects transmission tower 94.

According to Nwokoye, “The erosion problems worsened over the years and have reached very alarming dimensions, requiring immediate attention to avoid their catastrophic failure.

The inspection of the erosion site was fallout of an interactive session between the interim MD and General Managers in the company’s transmission regions held recently in Abuja. The meeting discussed issues and challenges affecting operations in the regions and attempted to proffer solutions that would enhance operations and service delivery.

The TCN boss and his team also visited the Onitsha Sub-Region to have an on-the-spot assessment of some on-going projects within the region. The MD’s inspection team included Tom Uwah, Head, Transmission Service Provider (TSP), Musa Gumel, Head, Independent System Operation ISO), Engr. Victor Adewumi, General Manager (Transmission), Benin Region.