The power Distribution Companies (DisCos) have supported calls for effective coordination and alignment of power generation, transmission and distribution expansion projects towards attaining the 7,000 megawatts (MW) power grid target set by the Federal Government (FG).
This comes on the backdrop of the recently concluded public hearing by the Senate Committee on Power at which the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Generation Companies (GenCos) and the DisCos participated.
TCN had accused DisCos of being the weakest link while the GenCos blamed both sections for not taking enough energy. Engr. Mamman recently replaced the MD of TCN, saying he was attacking other agencies and frustrating the Siemens deal
While GenCos, TCN and the DisCos claim to have over 5,000MW energy supply capacity, none has delivered that to power consumers. As of Tuesday, statistics show generated energy on the national grid was 4,693MW, and fell to 2,642MW the same day.
The Executive Director of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Barr. Sunday Oduntan, stated that lack of coordination in the power sector had hampered efforts geared towards improving power supply nationwide.
Reacting to the Minister of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman’s recent assurance of the ministry’s determination to ensure effective coordination of all agencies and value-chain of the power sector towards realising the 7,000MW national grid distribution capacity in the first phase of the Siemens deal, Oduntan advocated the need for improved involvement of DisCos in the transmission expansion project of TCN.
He said, “TCN is building a series of transmission facilities, but they are not in good proximity to the load distribution centres of the DisCos. The farther the transmission facility is to the load distribution centre, the higher the losses, the more the bill for the consumer.
“This is a concern for us and we want the FG to intervene and ensure that there is coordination of the expansion project. This will be of more impact to the Nigerian electricity consumer.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Gabriel Suswam, had at the public hearing, said once there was alignment and proper coordination of the sector, that if Nigeria could generate 13,000MW and transmission could take 10,000MW and DisCos were able to absolve that and there was proper tariff, it would make the sector solvent.
