UNIBEN, Oluku, Egba, Ihovbor to Face Prolonged Power Cuts in March — TCN
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and residents of Oluku, Egba, and the Ihovbor axis will experience daily power outages of up to 10 hours throughout March.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the planned interruption is necessary to facilitate ongoing restringing works on the Benin–Ajaokuta 330-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
According to her, the project, which commenced on February 27, will run until March 31, with power disruptions scheduled daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mbah explained that the exercise is aimed at enabling TCN’s contractor to continue critical work on the 330kV transmission line connected to the Ihovbor Power Plant Turn-In/Turn-Out substation.
She noted that temporary power interruptions are required because the transmission line crosses major highways along the Benin–Ajaokuta corridor. Road safety agencies, she added, have been notified and will be on standby to ensure public safety during the construction period.
During the outage window, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) will be unable to supply electricity to customers in UNIBEN, Oluku, Egba, and Ihovbor for up to 10 hours daily.
However, Mbah assured that the restringing activities would be suspended each day at 6:00 p.m., after which power supply to the affected feeders would be restored.
This means electricity supply to the impacted areas will be available from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. daily until the project is completed.
TCN apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that full bulk power supply to BEDC would resume upon completion of the transmission line project.
