The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 000 megawatts

  • TCN targets 20,000 megawatts in 2021, says MD

    The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mallam Usman Gur-Mohammed, yesterday in Kano said the company was on track to meet the 20,000 megawatts target in 2021.

    He said that President Muhammadu Buhari had done a lot  of work to support the company, in the areas of transmission and expansion programme, which brought about the transmission network from 5,000 mw in 2017 to 8,100 MW currently.

    According to him, “we have achieved frequency that have never been achieved in the history of power sector. As l speak to you now, our frequency control is the best in West Africa. This has never been happening; we focus mostly on expansion, not looking at the quality of the power. But now we are not focusing on expansion, but the quality of the power.

    Mr Usman Gur-Mohammed disclosed this, while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje inaugurated the 1×60 MVA 132/33KV transformer at Dan’agundi transmission substation Kano as well as 1×30/40MVA 132/33KV substation at Wudil transmission substation.

    He assured consumers that the current poor power supply being experienced in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states as a result of faulty transformers at Kumbotoso Transmission station in Kano, would soon come to pass.

    He said the newly acquired transformer which had arrived the country would soon be transported to Kano to enable the TCN in-house engineers install the equipment.

  • Edo to partner Siemens to generate 1,000 megawatts

    The Edo State government yesterday took its first step in a collaboration with Siemens AG to generate 1000 megawatts of electricity.

    The power is to be generated from Azura, Osiomon and UNIBEN Power Plants.

    The government held a stakeholders’ forum to identify the challenges in the power sector and proffer solutions to them.

    Speaking at the forum, Governor Godwin Obaseki urged the stakeholders to provide answers to how the state could avoid the limitations of the past and learn from the experiences of other states and power developers especially in the area of access to adequate gas supply.

    He also urged them to identify the challenges and solutions of revenue recovery to investors and developers, explore how the state could engage the federal agencies in developing Independent Power Projects for Edo, and highlight the most optimal financing options available to stakeholders.

    On why the government placed emphasis on power, he said: “The importance of power to drive growth and development, improve security, empower the non-formal sector and promote wealth creation cannot be overemphasised. Hence, following the inauguration of this administration, we identified the power sector as critical to the future progress of Edo State.”

    In addition, the governor restated his commitment to ensuring that Edo State generated a quarter of the country’s power supply, especially given the strategic geographical location and position of the state in the transmission network and supply of gas resources.

    Siemens AG’s Head of Operations in Edo State, Onyeche Tiffase noted that the forum was pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Siemens and the establishment of a Joint development Committee to generate 1000 megawatts of electricity over the next four years to complement ongoing investments in the power sector in Edo State.

    Managing Director of Benin Distribution Company (BEDC) Mrs. Funke Osibodu said Nigeria’s power supply alternated between 3000mw and 3700mw, roughly 9% of that is supplied to Edo State.

    She, however, noted that the state needed a supply of at least 500mw, but that it also had the capacity to distribute 1800mw because the necessary facilities to accomplish that, including transformers, were already in place.

  • Fed Govt needs N15b to hit 8,000 megawatts by 2016

    Fed Govt needs N15b to hit 8,000 megawatts by 2016

    Deputy Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Dr Atiku Abubakar yesterday said about N15 billion was required for the nation to generate 8,000 megawatts of electricity by 2016.

    Abubakar spoke while inspection of some electricity projects at the sidelines of a training programme for auditors in Lagos.

    He said electricity generation recently improved, attributing it to improved gas supply.

    According to him, the highest peak (4,652 megawatts) was reached in July, with transmission a little above the power generated, saying TCN could transmit about 5,300 megawatts.

    ‘’As generation is improving, we are expected to expand transmission to evacuate all that is being generated for distribution.

    “l can assure that we have our plans, targeting projects that are critical, so that within a short time, we will  hit 8,000 megawatts by end of 2016,’’ he said..

    Abubakar said interested investors willing to invest in the transmission segment had been shortlisted, adding that over 30 investors that could deliver on project had been chosen.

    He said he won’t name them, adding: ‘’We are trying to see that they are capable technically and financially  to fund the project’’.

    “We are putting up a framework to enable them recover their investment.

    “Since the Federal Government won’t give them a sovereign guarantee, we’ll repayment from our billing charges and internally generated revenue,’’ Abubakar said.

  • Expect 10,000 megawatts by December, says Perm Sec

    Expect 10,000 megawatts by December, says Perm Sec

    The poor electricity supply in the country might be a thing of the past if the plan by the Federal Government to generate about 10,000 megawatts of electricity by end of year becomes a reality, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Dr. Godknows Igali, has said.

    Igali, who was speaking with reporters at an interactive session organised by the Nigerian Newsworld Leadership Forum at the weekend in Abuja, said the government has realised over $600 million from private investors in the power sector while efforts are being geared towards completing all the power projects across the nation.

    He said the money represents 25 per cent of what is expected from the firms, adding that all the successful bidders have met the deadlines for payment.

    Igali, deploring the continuous vandalisation of electricity installations by some unscrupulous Nigerians, noted that the investments made in the sector in the past years would yield positive results this year and beyond.

    He said: “At the moment, we have over 4,000 megawatts going out and it has been increasing. We can only grow better from this level. We are looking at well close to 10,000 megawatts before the end of the year by the time all the NIPP comes on stream, towards the end of this year. By the time all of them come on stream, we shall have well over 9,000 and heading to 10,000.

    “We were looking at when power availability was eight hours or even less than that. Now, we have even been able to cross over from eight hours to 12 hours or even more than that. We now have over 16 hours of power supply. It is a gradual process and it is time for Nigerians to begin to appreciate the staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria who, through many years, have maintained the integrity of the system, working under difficult moments to keep the system going; but there is some improvement”.

    On the investments in the sector, Igali said: “The processes were transparent and how much each of the companies needed were all published, but the companies were required to pay 25 per cent even if some of them are prepared to pay 100 per cent. But, from the information we got form the Bureau of Public Enterprises, we have almost received $600 million”.

    On why the public is yet to feel the positive impact of the huge investments in the sector, he explained that: “These power plants are huge equipment, turbines, etc. They are not materials you purchase off-the-shelf. It takes between two years and more to manufacture the turbines, depending on the capacity you want and other configurations.