Fire destroys 150MVA transformer at Nigerian grid substation in Benin

A 150MVA transformer belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) exploded and caught fire at the 330/132/33KVA substation on Sapele Road in Benin, Edo State, at about 8am on Sunday, according to an eyewitness and a TCN member of staff quoted anonymously. An eyewitness said the state fire service was not present in the early stages of the fire. Firefighters from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company fire station arrived about three and a half hours after the fire started, and were joined by responders from the Nigerian Army, the Air Force, the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and the Delta State Fire Service to put out the fire. The cause of the fire was not known at the time of reporting, and TCN management could not be reached for comment.

An eyewitness said the substation, which is reported to control supply across more than two states, had no firefighting equipment of its own, and that external firefighting help did not arrive for about three and a half hours. No official cause or findings had been published at the time of reporting.

1. Critical transmission substations serving wide areas should have dedicated onsite firefighting capability rather than relying solely on external response.
2. Utilities should agree mutual aid arrangements with multiple emergency response organisations in advance to shorten response times to major equipment fires.
3. Root cause investigations into transformer fires should be completed and published so that other operators of similar equipment can act on the findings.

guardian.ng/news/fire-guts-150mva-tcn-transformer-in-edo