AEDC writes TCN over faulty 132kV cable

By Raheenah Bello

Worried about the protracted delay in the repair of the damaged 132kV cable, conveying power from the Katampe 330/132kV to Central Area 132/33kV transmission station in Abuja, AEDC has written to the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) requesting him to take urgent steps for the repair of the damaged cable.
The cable in question is the gateway through which AEDC supplies electricity top range customers located in the Central Business District and such highbrow areas like Maitama, Wuse Zones 1 – 7, Utako, parts of Garki and Life Camp as well as Jabi and Kado Estate.
AEDC, in lamenting that the damage has lasted eight months with the repair yet to be effected said “this fault has persisted since June, 2019 and not yet resolved.
The Central Area is the hub of Government and commercial activities in the Federal Capital Territory, and this fault on your cable has subjected these areas to constant loadshedding. This is as a result of line capacity, which has been reduced by half since June, 2019”.
Of perhaps greater concern to AEDC, the memo says, is the negative impact the continuous delay in the repair of the cable is having on its revenue profile.
“This fault” AEDC said in the memo “is negatively affecting both our commercial and technical performance as our revenue collection in these areas are not being optimized and customers are being frustrated because of this constant load shedding necessitated by this persistent cable fault”.
AEDC concluded the memo by with a prayer. “It is our fervent prayer that you direct your maintenance team to urgently clear this fault because since its occurrence, our teeming customers have been suffering untold hardship.
Moreover, the negative political impact and reputational damage continue to be on the rise as long as this cable fault on your 132kV remain unresolved.”
Some of the major customers affected in the Central Area in Abuja include the Federal High Court, Central Mosque, the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated among others.