Three states, including Oyo, Osun and Ogun, have been partially thrown into blackout as fire razed a multi-million giant transformer at a sub-regional station of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Ayede, Akinyemi, Ring Road, Ibadan.
Daily Sun gathered that the burnt transformer is T1B 150 mega-volt-arm (MVA) 330KVA 132, transmitting electricity to many parts of Ibadan, Iseyin, and other parts of Oyo State, as well as Iwo in Osun State as well as Shagamu and Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. The inferno was said to have also destroyed some expensive cables attached to the transformer.
But for the timely intervention of fire brigades from Oyo State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, and NNPC Fire Service, as well as two private companies, Sweetco and Zartech that also deployed their firefighting trucks to the scene, the whole of the four transformers would have been destroyed.
Eleven fire trucks were seen at the station from different firefighting groups that worked together to quench the fire that was said to have started at about 7a.m., yesterday. But the fire brigades said they must be on ground at the station for 24 hours to ensure the fire did not resurface.
Unofficial sources said it might take up to two or three months for power to be restored to the affected cities and communities if there is a spare transformer of the same capacity in other locations of TCN in the country, otherwise, it would take a minimum of six months for power to be restored if the TCN would have to make orders for a new transformer and its cables.
However, a statement, entitled: Transformer Fire in Ayede Transmission Substation, posted on the official twitter handle of TCN – @TCN_NIGERIA, stated that: “TCN’s 150MVA/132/33KV power transformer in Ayede Substation caught fire in the early hours of this morning. Presently, the fire has been contained and TCN is currently working to isolate the burnt circuits, to enable the restoration of bulk supply through the sub-station.
“This incident would temporarily affect power supply to Ibadan and its enviorns.”
THE SUN, NIGERIA