- The Transmission Company of Nigeria targets to boost the country’s power transmission capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2026
- It said ongoing government projects, secured through partnerships, would boost power generation
- TCN said it developed the generation load drop sensitivity system to strengthen grid reliability and reduce grid collapses
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is targeting to boost the country’s power transmission capacity to 10,000 megawatts (MW) by 2026.
It said the target is hinged on the government’s commitment to modernise the national grid and ensure stable power supply.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of the TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, during the ‘meet-the-press’ programme at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday, March 6.
Abdulaziz cited the recent peak power generation record of 5,801MW achieved on March 4, adding that the TCN is on track to meet its 10,000MW target building upon the current evacuation capacity of 8,500MW.
“With the numerous TCN transmission projects completed in the last two years and new ones currently underway, I can confidently state that in less than two years from now, the Transmission Company of Nigeria will conveniently evacuate 10,000 megawatts [of] generated power.
“We have a capacity of 8500MW as of today; by the end of next year, our capacity will reach 10,000 megawatts,” he said.
Partnerships and government efforts to boost power generation
The TCN boss further highlighted the results of partnerships and government efforts to boost power generation and transmission in the country.
He said the World Bank-funded projects have added 6,000 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of transmission capacity to the grid, with an additional 3,000 MVA in progress.
Other ongoing projects include the African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded new Kano-Kaduna 330kV DC transmission line, the Zaria 330kV substation, and the 132kV substation in Jaji, Kaduna.
Abdulaziz noted that the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) under FGN Power Company has delivered 10 mobile substations, seven of which have been installed, in addition to 10 transformers of various ratings connected to the grid.
He said, “The FGN Power Company is the special purpose vehicle for implementing the Presidential Power Initiative.
“Having completed the pilot phase of the Siemens project with the installation of the transformers, phase 1B of the project has been approved by the FEC for the reinforcement of seven existing transmission substations.”
Efforts to strengthen grid reliability, reduce collapses
Abdulaziz said the TCN developed the generation load drop sensitivity system, which prevents cascading failures in the absence of a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, to strengthen grid reliability and reduce grid collapses.
He said the ongoing SCADA project, at 69 per cent completion, would improve real-time monitoring and grid efficiency upon completion.
“Our progress is also evident in the 76.47 per cent reduction in grid disturbances over the past five years.
“However, to enable us to manage the grid in the absence of SCADA in place, we developed the generation load drop sensitivity system, which detects and responds to sudden drops in power generation, preventing cascading failures.
“Additionally, all our substations have now been fully digitised and automated. We equally deployed an in-house Internet of Things solution to improve the visibility of power generators.
“This successfully expanded the visibility of power stations from six to 27 locations. This is being used as a stop-gap solution until the ongoing SCADA project funded by the World Bank is completed.
“The SCADA project is about 69 per cent completed, and on completion, it will enhance real-time monitoring and improve grid management and efficiency.
“Once SCADA is fully implemented, operators will no longer need to manually track faults or depend on phone calls to determine the status of grid infrastructure,” he said.
Nigerian government targets $10b to achieve stable power supply to citizens
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Federal Government was banking on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to bridge the investment gap in the power sector.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who said that the government will need $10 billion to provide uninterrupted power, described the challenges in the power sector as enormous.
