The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it lost N1.7 billion in nine months due to vandalisation of electricity infrastructure in Borno state by Boko Haram terrorists.
Minister of Power, Engineer Abubakar D. Aliyu, disclosed this in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, at a town hall meeting.
Maiduguri and parts of Damaturu, Yobe state, have been cut off from public power supply since January as a result of the destruction of power infrastructure by terrorists.
Represented by TCN chairman, Sule Abdulazeez, the minister said the TCN recorded the revenue loss from January to September.
Aliyu said the loss recorded was on vandalised electricity lines at an average of 740 megawatts per day, adding that in one month, TCN lost an average of N139 million on the wheeling charges and energy lost in the area.
He said a total number of eight 330Kv towers had been destroyed by the insurgents in Damaturu and Maiduguri within the period.
The minister said an average cost of reconstructing each tower is about N110 million, translating to about N880 million.
“Five towers were successfully erected and stringing completed on September 17, awaiting energisation before the insurgents brought down another two sets of tower (1193 and 1194) at Auna village the next day September 18,” he said.
“Six towers in Oronta village in Abia state were brought down by vandals in Umuahia, while ten drums of aluminium conductors were carted away disrupting erection of a new tower.
“Also, the Escravos to Lagos pipeline was blasted by vandals disrupting gas supply to over six power generating stations in the western part of the country in 2016.”
The minister recommended executing embedded generation such as the proposed NNPC 50mw gas plant, solar farm, and wind farm in Maiduguri.
