Blackout As Kainji-Birnin Kebbi Power Line Tower Collapses

Electricity transmission along the Kainji-Birnin Kebbi corridor has been disrupted following strong winds and heavy rainfall, which reportedly caused a major transmission tower to collapse.

Naija News reports that the development was confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, September 8, in which the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said the incident affected the 330kV Kainji-Birnin Kebbi transmission line and forced the company to declare force majeure on the affected line.

According to the statement, the line tripped at about 10:44 p.m. on Monday, September 7, 2026.

The company said an attempt was made to restore the line at 11:07 p.m., but it tripped again.

Following the second trip, TCN said its linesmen from the Birnin Kebbi Sub-Region were sent out to inspect the transmission corridor and identify the cause of the fault.

The team later discovered that Tower T367 had collapsed.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the collapse of the tower was caused by heavy winds and rainstorms experienced in the area,” TCN said.

The collapsed tower has affected the transmission of bulk electricity through the 330kV Kainji-Birnin Kebbi corridor, identified as 2KNJ-BRK1.

TCN consequently declared force majeure on the line, citing the natural disaster responsible for the damage.

The company said it had started arrangements to move personnel, equipment and other materials to the affected location to rebuild the collapsed tower and restore electricity transmission.

Despite the damage, TCN said it had been able to maintain power transmission to Sokoto through an alternative route.

It explained that the Talata Mafara-Sokoto corridor was receiving electricity through another transmission route from the Kaduna-Mando axis, using the 132kV Zaria-Funtua-Gusau transmission line.

According to TCN, the alternative arrangement is helping to keep electricity flowing to the affected areas while repair work is being planned.

The company apologized to electricity consumers and other stakeholders for the inconvenience caused by the incident.

TCN assured the public that it was working to restore normal bulk electricity transmission along the affected corridor as quickly as possible.