Kano, Jigawa and Katsina to experience inadequate supply of power – KEDCO

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

Residents of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states will experience inadequate power supply in the next few weeks because of a fire outbreak at the Kumbotso transmission station in Kano.

This was disclosed by the Head Corporate Communications department, Kano state Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Alhaji Muktar Baffa Usman in a statement made available to newsmen in Kano Thursday.

“There was a fire outbreak at the Kumbotso 330/132/33kv transmission facility in Kano, a development which caused power supply to be disrupted in its aftermath.

The fire was detected after the staff of the station heard an unusual sound coming out of one of the transformers. Thereafter smoke started to bellow out to the skies and a person rushed to see that one of the four 1x 150 MVA transformers serving the Kano complex was actually on fire”, he explained.

Usman added that the Kano state fire services as well as all relevant security agencies were contacted immediately and a rescue operation curtailed the spread of the inferno.

“The affected transformer was the T1A equipment commissioned in 2008 by the late honorable minister of state for Power, Hajiya Fatima Balaraba Ibrahim.

“The fire incident is the first of its kind and has affected power supply to the entire Kano distribution network supplying Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states.

Meanwhile, a team of engineers has been dispatched by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to ascertain the damage done by the fire and to isolate the affected transformer pending a possible replacement.

He said the management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company is concern about this unfortunate incident, adding that the company regretted the inconveniences brought about by the disruption of power supply to the entire Kano distribution zone, made up of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states.