The Transmission Company of Nigeria said it had installed 29 power transformers and substations across the country between February 2017 and August 2018.
It said the completion of the projects was done in line with the government’s policy on incremental power; and debunked claims made by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company that the national grid was highly unstable.
The TCN said it recently completed a 30/40MVA 132/33kV transmission substation project in Wudil, Kano State, and installed a new 60MVA 132/33kV power transformer in Akure, Ondo State.
“The Wudil and Akure transformers bring to 29 the number of transformers installed by the TCN from February 2017 to date,” the company’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, stated in Abuja.
She said the transformers had been energised and were supplying power to the communities and environs where they are located.
“The projects are an addition to the 27 power transformers completed across the country mainly by the TCN in-house engineers,” Mbah said.
According to her, the contract for the construction of the 30/40MVA 330/33kV transmission substation in Wudil was awarded in 2009 but the contractor failed persistently to complete the project for nine years.
She said consequently, the TCN took over the project in the first week of July, 2018, completed it within three weeks by its in-house engineers and energised it on July 31, 2018.
“The Wudil Transmission Substation project has increased the quantum of bulk electricity supply to the ano Electricity Distribution Company for onward delivery to electricity customers in Gaya, Taraki Garko, Wudil, Mariri, among others,” Mbah added.
The power transmission firm also stated that the installation of the 1X60MVA 132/33kV transformer and 2No 33kV feeder bays in Akure Transmission Substation, funded by the World Bank, which commenced in February 2017, was completed and energised in July, 2018.
It said the new 60MVA power transformer increased the capacity of the Akure Transmission Substation from 120MVA to 180MVA, adding that with the additional capacity, the TCN had equally increased power supply to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company load centres taking supply from the substation.
The firm called for a commensurate investment in distribution networks nationwide, as it noted that inadequacies in the distribution network were limiting the amount of power delivered to end users on a daily basis.
On the claims by Benin Disco, the TCN said the power distributor recently alleged that the national grid was highly unstable, with over 2,000 tripping in its network between January and July 2018.
The TCN said the statement was misleading because in the subsequent part of the same report by the Disco, the BEDC claimed significant improvement in its services.
“This significant improvement in its (BEDC’s) services could not have been possible if the national grid was weak as alleged. The BEDC has no imbedded generation, hence it depends entirely on the national grid and could not have recorded such improvement if the grid has not also improved,” Mbah said.