TCN, PHED yet to fix Afam shattered transmission station as PH blackout continues

…TransCorp acquired Afam plant at N105.3bn in 2019

Ben Eguzozie, in Port Harcourt

Engineers from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) have yet to fix the shattered power transformer at the Afam transmission station in Oyigbo council of Rivers State.

The explosion which occurred last week at the Afam power transmission station had shattered the power transformer of the transmission station, throwing most parts of the Port Harcourt metropolis into blackout.

The cause of the incident was not immediately known. PHED’s acting manager, corporate communications, Chioma Aninwe said, repairs were ongoing, and supply will be restored as soon as possible.

Afam Power plant has eight phases (Afam 1 – 8), originally operated by the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) before it was unbundled in the 2013 Nigeria Power Sector Reform (NPSR). The outcome of the World Bank supervised energy reform is the current Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Generation Companies (GenCos) and 11 power distribution companies (DisCos).

Tens of thousands of households in the city were going for days without public power.

The power station, located in Oyibo local council of the state, is owned by the TCN and PHED. The DisCo confirmed that the explosion shattered the power transformer at the transmission station.

“Repairs are already ongoing, and supply will be restored as soon as possible. Areas affected are: Rumuokwuta, some parts of NTA Road, Rumuola Road, Ikwerre Road from Wimpey junction to Rumuigbo junction, parts of Ada George, GRA phases 1, 2 and 3, Oroworukwo community and Olu Obasanjo Road. Others are some parts of Rumukalagbor, some parts of Rumuibekwe, Rumuola under the bridge, Rumuola link road, and some parts of Stadium Road,” the DisCo said in a statement.

The Nigerian federal government had handed over Afam Power plant to TransCorp via the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) late last year. TransCorp Power Consortium won the bid for the plant.

TransCorp’s winning bid of N105.3 billion got it the ownership of the decades old power transmission plant. In November 2020, TransCorp paid a 25 per cent cash deposit of the total bid amount. The chairman of TransCorp Consortium, Tony Elumelu had expressed gratitude for the opportunity to become a stakeholder in the critical subsector of the electricity value-chain. He had assured of the company’s commitment to the developing the host community, and ensuring the contribution to stable and reliable electricity in the nation.