TCN Completes Live-Line Maintenance on Zaria–Funtua Transmission Line Without Power Disruption

By Iyojo Ameh

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has successfully completed live-line maintenance on the Zaria–Funtua 132kV transmission line without interrupting bulk electricity supply, reinforcing efforts to improve the reliability of the national grid.

The maintenance exercise, carried out by TCN’s Kaduna Region Live-Line Crew between July 4 and July 7, 2026, involved the replacement of damaged glass disc insulators on critical sections of the transmission line while it remained energized.

According to the company, the operation covered transmission towers T14, T17, T40, T63, T78, T175, T177 and T178, where at least five damaged glass disc insulators on each tower were replaced with a combination of polymer and glass disc insulators.

By conducting the repairs under live-line conditions, TCN avoided the need for a planned outage, ensuring uninterrupted transmission of bulk electricity throughout the maintenance period.

The company said the successful exercise demonstrates its growing capacity to deploy advanced live-line maintenance techniques to strengthen grid reliability while minimizing disruptions to electricity consumers.

TCN noted that replacing the damaged insulators will enhance the integrity of the transmission infrastructure, reduce the risk of faults and improve the operational efficiency of the Zaria–Funtua 132kV transmission line.

The successful completion of the maintenance exercise, the company added, reflects its commitment to maintaining a safe, efficient and dependable electricity transmission network in line with ongoing efforts to improve power delivery across the country.