Citizens lament as blackout grounds businesses in Kaduna
By Kasim Isa Muhammad
Kanempress News
27th October 2024
Businesses across all sectors of the economy in Kaduna state have been grounded following a total blackout for the past two weeks.
Kanempress gathered that the blackout started a few days after the pump price of petrol was increased to 1050 naira, which caused a rise in public transportation fares by commercial vehicles.
Kanempress observed that many businesses like soft drink vendors, barbing salons, hairdressing, and others were grounded as shop owners said they could not afford to buy fuel at skyrocketing prices.
A soft drink vendor, Jonah Adejor, said he lost patronage because his customers prefer buying cold drinks, water, and beverages, until the total blackout
Similarly speaking, Muhammad Imran, who sells beverages along the Kaduna-Abuja road, said, “Travelers buy cold drinks regularly. But since there is no light to make ice water, they no longer have interest. I can only sell about 3,000 naira instead of 15,000 before.”
In reaction, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN says the blackout affecting parts of Northern Nigeria will persist due to security challenges, hindering repairs on critical transmission lines.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria said despite its efforts to restore electricity through alternative means, the said situation will not be fully resolved anytime soon.
Kanempress recalled that the ongoing blackout, which lasted days, initially originated from vandalism of the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which provided bulk electricity to the northern states.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria said to mitigate the impact, it diverted electricity through the Ugwuaji-Apir 330-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line.
However, a tripping incident on the alternative line further worsened the power supply situation.
The Executive Director of the Independent System Operator at Transmission Company of Nigeria, Engr Nafisatu Asabe Ali said at a public hearing by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that the repair of the Ugwuaji-Apir line would only provide a limited solution.
She noted that while the line could carry up to 750 megawatts (MW) of power, only 350 MW could be safely transmitted to Kano, Kaduna, and parts of Niger Republic due to voltage stability issues in Kano.
“The larger Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which supplies more power, remains out of service due to insecurity in the area where it was damaged,” Engineer Ali said.
Engr Ali stated that the Transmission Company of Nigeria had received security advice from the Office of the National Security Adviser, indicating that the area where three towers were destroyed, is currently inaccessible due to ongoing security issues.
Despite having the materials needed for repairs, the Transmission Company of Nigeria cannot proceed until the security situation improves, Engineer Ali noted.
She said the region is currently sharing 250 MW of electricity with Niger Republic, and when the Ugwuaji-Apir line is restored, the maximum power transmission will reach only 350 MW.
However, the Chairman of NERC, Garba Usman, criticized the Transmission Company of Nigeria for its lack of solutions to prevent equipment failures, particularly transformer explosions, which have contributed to the recurring power outages.
Usman called for stronger protective measures to avoid transformer fires, which disrupt the entire grid.
