As the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) moves to evacuate additional 1,487 megawatts of electricity with the delivery of 15 new power transformers, consumer groups have called on the Federal Government to avoid political considerations in the installation of the infrastructure.
The Nigeria Consumer Protection Network (NCPN) accused the government of historically placing political interests above national economic interests in the location of key infrastructure.
While Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity stands at around 12, 000MW, only about 4,500MW is wheeled to homes and industries as transmission and distribution related bottlenecks undermine capacity.
TCN had, in a release, stated that the new transformers, which have already been evacuated from the port, comprise 10 60MVA – 132/33kV and five 150MVA 330/132kV capacity transformers. Currently kept at the TCN Central Store in Ojo, Lagos State, the transformers are expected to make their ways to project sites across the country.
Acting Managing Director of the company, Dr. Sule Abdulaziz, said in Abuja that the contract for the supply of the transformers under the Nigerian Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP) was funded by the World Bank, adding that the company will be the one to decide the project site on which the transformers would be installed.
Abdulaziz stated that on installation and connection to the grid, the 10 60MVA 132/33kV power transformers and the five 150MVA 330/132kV transformers would add 637MW and 850MW respectively to the transmission network.
The addition would increase the total capacity of the transmission system by 1487MW while ensuring N-1 reliability criteria in the substations, which is strategic in enhancing grid stability, he noted.
In August last year, the World Bank similarly funded transformer supply contracts, which brought in 10 60MVA132/33kV transformers and 25 earthing transformers.
Of that number, especially the 10 60MVA transformers, five were installed in Karu and Gombe Substations; two are currently being installed in Kano and one in Lagos State.
“This is the first time in the history of TCN that it took delivery of large numbers of transformers within a short period. These are milestone achievements for TCN, as it strives to implement its short-term development plan under the Nigerian Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion and Rehabilitation Programme (NEGMERP). The World Bank-sponsored NETAP project is only one of the TCN donor-funded projects aimed at expanding the transmission grid, while also prioritising maintenance of the existing transmission infrastructures,” he said.
Abdulaziz noted that the company is equally executing several projects funded by the Agence Français de Dévelopement (AFD), while processes for projects funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), according to him, are progressing fast.
He stated that TCN would soon sign contracts for 330kV & 132kV Substations as the procurement of consultants for projects funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is on the verge of taking off.
A legal practitioner and President of the NCPN, Kunle Kola Olubiyo, who urged the government to desist from such move in the location of the new infrastructure, said it remained unacceptable to place key infrastructure politicians’ rural settlement.
According to him, such locations are better powered by off-grid solutions rather than allowing critical infrastructure to remain idle and under-utilised when industrial clusters, urban areas lack the basic infrastructure needed to meet up the daily load demand of bulk users of electricity.
“Location of projects should be strategically tied to economic zones and industrial clusters or industrial parks,” Olubiyo said.
Meanwhile, the TCN has disclosed in related development that the country has commenced the digitisation of old transmission substations in its network.
The digitisation project, according to the company, is aimed at improving the automation system of old transmission substations and their connectivity with the proposed TCN Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) System.
The scope of work for the project includes the supply, installation, configuration, testing, commissioning of Substation Automation Systems (SAS) as well as the control and relay protection systems in the substations. This project would further contribute to grid management and reduce system losses.
The digitisation project is funded by the World Bank under NETAP (Nigerian Electricity Transmission Project), managed by the Project Management Unit of TCN. In Port-Harcourt Region alone, five substations would be digitised, including Afam 1, Ahoada, Yenegoa, Owerri, and Uyo substations.
