By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Electricity supply has been restored to several parts of Awka following swift intervention by the technical team of FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited following a major disruption caused by a road accident involving a one-way speeding heavy-duty truck, which knocked down critical high-tension infrastructure along the Agu-Awka axis.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday along the Agu-Awka Injection Substation Road, resulted in the collapse of multiple high-tension poles, conductors, and other components along the Agu-Awka (Industrial) feeder, severely affecting power supply to key areas within the Anambra capital city.
Areas affected by the outage included Industrial Layout, Amenyi, Ntokor, Mpolo Base, Amudo, Women Development Centre axis, Lagos Estate, and areas behind the Immigration Quarters in Awka.
The accident resulted in extensive damage to power infrastructure, including five 34ft high-tension poles, five 11KV insulators, five cross arms, sixteen D-irons, and aluminium conductors spanning over 1.2 kilometres of the feeder line.
Upon receiving reports of the incident, FirstPower’s operations and maintenance team swiftly mobilized to the site, where they immediately secured and cordoned off the area to ensure public safety and prevent further hazards.
After assessment, the technical team commenced emergency restoration works, which involved the replacement of the damaged poles and other critical components, restringing of conductors, and full reconstruction of the damaged sections of the high-tension line spanning over one kilometre.
Working under intense pressure and racing against time, the team laboured for several hours (from 8:am till 10.pm) to complete the reconstruction work with the required highest level of efficiency.
The rapid response and the long duration commitment to the reconstruction work, significantly minimized downtime for customers and also helped to avert further losses, including the risk of vandalism and theft of exposed electrical materials.
As at 10.pm on the same day, the reconstruction work was concluded and electricity supply successfully restored to the affected areas, bringing relief to households and businesses that rely heavily on stable power for daily operations.
The FirstPower Management apologized to customers for the inconveniences caused by the unexpected outage, while also appreciating their patience and understanding during the restoration process.
Reassuring its customers of its continued commitment to prompt response, improved service delivery, and the protection of critical power infrastructure across its network; FirstPower also cautioned against human-caused damages which constitute major setbacks to effective service delivery.
More photos from the scene:
