The national electricity grid may improve beyond the 5,000 megawatts (MW) transmission and distribution capacity with the execution of power transmission projects worth N43.75 billion, the Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, has said.
The minister submitted 16 memos for the projects which were recently approved at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), a statement by his spokesman, Isa Sanusi, said.
The minister said the current grid supply hovers around 5,000MW, noting that it was not enough for the country even as the major challenge is within the transmission and distribution value chain.
While the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) are managed by private operators, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) – a single transmission entity – is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Power.
Aliyu said: “As it is now, even the transmission is not that strong. So, we need to put more investment into the transmission so that we can improve the wheeling capacity of the TCN to be able to take up enough electricity from the generation.
“So, these memos, although 16 of them but they’re all geared towards achieving what I’ve just explained. So I’m going to read them out to you for the purpose of records and information,” he noted.
Daily Trust analysis of the N43bn projects’ brief indicates that in Ondo State, TCN got approval for a double unit of 60MVA transformer at 132/33 kilovolts (kV) transmission substation at Ikare-Akoko and two units of 132kV lines extension at Oke-Agbe, for N6.1bn.
There is the construction of a 132kV double circuit line in Ikere-Ijesa-Isu-Ilupeju towns in Ekiti State worth N21bn.
The minister said TCN will construct two National Control Centres (NCC) in Osun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). That of Osun is at the Osogbo site of the current NCC which will cost N1.16bn with the NCC Gwagwalada-FCT also to gulp N1.16bn.
He said additional work on the 330kV double circuit line of Mando substation in Kaduna will cost N893m. TCN will construct the 60MVA, 132/33kV substation at Ogbomosho in Oyo and extend two units of 132kv lines at Ganmo substation in Ilorin, Kwara at N2.9bn.
A N4.32bn contract for design, manufacture and supply of power transmission equipment that was also approved.
In Lagos, the minister said TCN will install and commission transmission lines for the 330/132/33kV Lekki substation at N2.8bn. N176.5m was added to the project cost for the construction of 2X60MVA 132/33kV substation at Malumfashi and four units of 132kV line at Kankara in Katsina.
Aside from substation building projects, the minister said TCN got approval to buy spare parts to ease and speed up power grid maintenance operations.
The projects include the procurement of 1,500 drums of transformer oil at N322.5m, supply of 19 Sergi transformer explosion and fire protection devices at N2.7bn and supply of 180 grounding equipment at N362m.
The company will also procure 40 units of primary injection test sets and another 40 units of secondary injection test sets, gulping N2bn.
Just at the weekend, the minister inspected power projects in Katsina and Kano where he assured that the federal government is on track to expand grid capacity to 25,000MW.
He inspected the 10MW Katsina windmill project at Lambar Rimi, along with the acting Managing Director of TCN, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz.
Engr. Aliyu said procurements are being made by the ministry under the Siemens Presidential Power Initiative to boost electricity and enhance power-utilizing businesses in Nigeria.
The minister inspected three new power transmission substation projects that would expand the delivery of bulk power in the state.
The substations are the 330kV substation at Fatima Shema Estate, 33/11kV Liyafa distribution substation project and the 133/33kV Kankia transmission substation.
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