Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, says the total blackout currently being experienced across Akwa Ibom State was caused by a snapped conductor on the Aba–Itu 132kV transmission line.
In a notice issued at the weekend, the Disco said the fault, which occurred on a major transmission corridor belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, immediately shut down supply to the entire state.
PHED said, “Please note that the outage currently experienced in the entire Akwa Ibom State is due to a cut conductor on Aba/Itu 132kV line.”
The company urged residents and businesses to remain calm, assuring that the TCN technical team had already commenced repair work to restore supply.
“We appeal to our esteemed customers in the state to exercise patience as TCN technical team are working to rectify the fault and restore power as soon as possible,” the Disco said.
The outage has disrupted commercial activities, with hotels, SMEs, and manufacturing hubs in Uyo, Eket, Ikot Ekpene, and Oron forced to switch to diesel generators amid rising energy costs.
The blackout further highlights Nigeria’s fragile transmission backbone and the recurrent vulnerability of single-source power feeds into major economic zones.
PHED, however, apologized for the hardship caused, stressing that its hands were tied since the damaged line is under TCN’s operational control.
“All inconveniences are regretted,” the management added.
The company did not give a restoration timeline, but TCN engineers are expected to conclude repairs once the tower section is secured and energized for testing.
