Explosion Not Cause of Anambra, Enugu Blackout, TCN Counters EEDC
The Transmission Company of Nigeria has dismissed claims by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC that an explosion at its Onitsha Sub-Region station was responsible for the recent power outage in parts of Anambra State and Oji River in Enugu State. According to a statement signed by GM, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Thursday, the company said it was “compelled to correct the misinformation recently published by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC on August 27, 2025, regarding the cause of the power outage in Anambra State and Oji River in Enugu State. “Contrary to EEDC’s claim, there was no explosion at the Transmission Company of Nigeria station at Onitsha Sub-Region.” Explaining the actual cause of the incident, TCN noted that the partial loss of power in the 330kv switch yard at Onitsha Sub-Region occurred on August 21, 2025, at about 02:34 hours. It said the outage was due to “an insulation flashover of porcelain insulator (P1) of the red phase jumper conductor to bus bar 1 due to rainfall.” The company disclosed that power was restored the same day at 17:54 hours. It further stated that a planned scheduled outage had already been arranged for August 31 and September 1, 2025, to replace the stack porcelain insulators. “We clarify that there was no explosion of equipment or loss of switchgear equipment in the TCN Onitsha region,” the statement stressed. TCN also urged EEDC to ensure due diligence in its communication with the public, warning that “deliberate deception or propaganda is unprofessional and unacceptable.” Recall that electricity customers in Anambra State and parts of Enugu State were thrown into darkness on Wednesday following what they thought was an explosion in the Awada area of Anambra. The incident, which occurred around 2:34 a.m., disrupted the power supply across affected areas. Confirming the development, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC, through its Group Head of Corporate Communications, Emeka Ezeh, attributed the blackout to the explosion at the TCN facility. Punch