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Tag: TCN

  • FG set to demolish houses under power line

    …DisCos begins disconnection of structure under high tension

    …as NEMSA trains 70 electrical inspector

     

    Following the Federal Government policy that prohibits the building of any houses and other structures under the power line, the Nigeria Electricity Management Service Agency (NEMSA), on Monday insisted that government will definitely remove the structures.

    The Managing Director, of the agency, Engr. Peter Ewesor, disclosed this to reporters after declaring open, the induction and capacity building for 70 NEMSA engineers undergoing training at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja.

    Ewesor, who is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, revealed that owing to the implementation of the policy, the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have already commenced the disconnection of such structures under the high tension across the country.

    According to him, state governments have already inaugurated committees to remove the structure under the power line in their respective states. The disconnection exercise, according to him, is to discourage the dwellers from living under the power line.

    Ewesor explained that, owing to the situation report from the DisCos, interestedly, the owners of the structures are complying willingly because they have realized the risk of living under the power line.

    The NEMSA boss said that: “Recently the Federal Government has made a policy of ensuring that all the infrastructure and structures built within the right of way are actually removed.

    “As a first step of the policy, it is to ensure that all those infrastructure within the right of way, either within or under the power transmission line are first and foremost disconnected. And since after the policy, we have followed up with the DisCos and the Transmission Company of Nigeria to ensure that as the first step, these premises are disconnected to deter them to continue to stay under the line.

    “And a lot of state governments are setting up committees to ensure that even beyond the disconnection of the premises from the power supply system, that they are equally going to be removed. And these committees are already working and they are going to ensure that these premises are eventually going to be removed from under the lines.

    “But the first thing now is that all those people that build under the line we are disconnecting them, and we are getting the results from the DisCos telling us which areas they have complied. People are happy because they did not know the danger involved in them staying under the line.

    “But beyond that we are actually ensuring that it goes further. It is nationwide and the exercise is going on simultaneously within the country because we have the under the 11 DisCos spread across the country.”

    He also told the reporters that the rate of electrocution in the country has been on decrease because of the awareness that the agency has created and its technical enforcement in the industry.

    The decline in mortality from electrocution is still not noticeable because people are still counting previous casualties, he said.

    On meter, he said that the agency has three meter test stations in Kaduna, Oshodi and Port Harcourt that are presently being remodeled to catch up with modern technology.

    Ewesor noted that in order to cope with the influx of meters that would flood the industry as a result of the Meter Asset Provider regulation of the Federal Government, “we are already creating a meter testing station in Enugu, which is going to be completed by the end of this year. And we expect that first quarter of next year it will kick into operation. And we are equally starting the one in Kano to ensure we capture all the meters coming into the country.”

    He explained that the agency carries three types of test on the meters to ensure they are the right type, quality and that their accuracy are correct.

    Asked whether he would advise customers to buy the local or imported meters, the Chief Executive Officer, said the former should be preferable because of the easy access to their manufacturers and spare parts.

    Ewesor, who said that wooden electricity poles are no longer well treated, also noted that the concrete types are preferable.

  • TCN eyes 20,000megawatts of electricity, says CEO

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has pledged to increase its production to 20,000 megawatts  by 2021.

    Its Managing Director/CEO,  Mr Usman Muhammed, gave the assurance while speaking on the sidelines of the installation of a 1×60 MVA transformer at the 132/33kV Transmission Substation in Akure.

    The capacity of the substation prior to this installation was 120 MVA.

    The additional transformer has raised the capacity of the substation to 180 MVA, with many communities in Akure and its environs expected to experience a remarkable improvement in power supply.

    Mohammed said the installation of the transformer is in line with the policy of the Federal Government to expand and stabilise electricity in the country.

    He said  the Federal Government aims  to provide “operational flexibility and reliability in delivering bulk power to distribution companies, international customers as well as other customers connected directly to the national grid”.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the company is implementing the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme of the Federal Government in line with international best practices.

    He said: “The installation will also increase the total wheeling capacity of TCN  which was 7,124Mw when it was last simulated in December 2017, and I can assure you that we have resolved all bottlenecks confronting effective service delivery.

    “Currently, the Akure 330/132/33KV Substation is about 95 per cent completed. This will eventually add another 120MVA to the existing capacity in Akure.

    “I visited the station yesterday and I can confirm that it is one of the best in this country.”

    Mohammed stressed that the installation of the 1X60MVA transformer in the Akure 132/33KV substation would lead to a remarkable improvement in power supply in Akure metropolis and its environ, including Igbara-Oke, Oba-Ile and Iju/Ita Ogbolu.

    The TCN chief, however, noted that the massive investment in the sector would not lead to significant improvement in the country unless the distribution companies also invest in rehabilitation and expansion of their networks.

     

    “I wish to use this occasion to call on the distribution companies to invest in their network so that the massive investment by TCN and generation companies can lead to economic growth and development of Nigeria,” he said.

    In his remarks at the event, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu appealed to distribution companies (DisCos) to ensure that they metered all consumers of electricity to avoid the rift between their staff and customers.

    The governor said that if all consumers were provided with a meter, they would control their electricity use and this would  reduce grievances with DisCos.

    Akeredolu, who said power was a critical requirement for economic growth, noted that its impact on education, health and other facets of life could not be quantified.

  • TCN recovers 693 abandoned power equipment containers at port

    The Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) said yesterday that it has recovered more than 693 containers of power equipment abandoned at ports for about 15 years due to tariff.

    The Managing Director (MD) of TCN, Mr. Usman Mohammed, said in a statement in Lagos that although some of the power equipment had been auctioned by the Nigeria Customs Service, the TCN would go after the auctioneers to recover the containers.

    “TCN still has over 200 other containers auctioned by the Customs outside the ports,” he said.

    Mohammed said: “We were able to recover 693 containers as of last week, out of a total of 800 containers that have been in the ports. Some of these containers have been there for 15 years.

    “Others have been auctioned and we had to trace the auctioneers to get the containers”.

    Mohammed said that the government was set to solve the problems in the distribution arm of the power sector.

    Government, he added, has given the TCN the nod to anchor the N72 billion the Federal Government planned to invest in the 11 electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

    Mohammed said that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, got the approval for the TCN to manage the N72 billion planned investment in the Discos.

  • Power supply: TCN to build 1,320KVA stations in Ogun

    Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said it will boost power supply in Ogun State with construction of four 330KVA substations across the state.

    The sub-stations, the company said, will be sited at Ogijo (Sagamu), Agbara, Mountain of Fire Ministry area by the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Arigbajo (Ifo).

    They are expected to be completed soon.

    TCN’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gur Mohammed, broke the news at the inauguration of new 60MVA, 132/33KV transformer by Governor Ibikunle Amosun at the TCN transmission substation in Ijebu-Ode.

    The governor was represented by his Chief of Staff, Tolu Odebiyi.

    Mohammed said the four substations would increase energy supply to the state because of its industrialising status and the socio-economic life of the residents.

     

  • Union declares dispute with TCN

    The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) yesterday declared a trade dispute with the Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) management over alleged anti-workers practices.

    SSAEAC said at its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos that the management of TCN contravened some labour rules and failed to honour several meeting arrangements with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

    The SSAEAC President, Mr Chris Okonkwo, told reporters at the end of the NEC meeting that TCN refused to improve the condition of service for its workers.

    According to Okonkwo, the TCN management has been involved in casualisation and victimisation of workers since inception about two years ago.

    He added that TCN management had continued to decline efforts by the union to negotiate with it.

    He warned that there would be a showdown if the issues would not resolved in two weeks.

    When contacted, Mr Usman Muhammed, Managing Director of TCN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the management had increased salaries and would not implement another without the approval of the Salaries and Wages Commission.

    Muhammed also said that TCN promoted workers who had been stagnated by the past administration.

     

  • TCN: Power sector system collapse imminent

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria ((TCN), yesterday warned about the imminence of another system collapse as a result of the volume of idle power waiting for evacuation.

    It advised electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to recapitalise to boost their capacity, lamenting that despite its existing capacity, load rejection from the DisCos, which causes high frequency and system collapse could still persist unless the DisCos are ready to distribute their loads.

    The Assistant General Manager, Operation, Engr. Smart Omo Omoragbon who spoke during a media tour of Ikeja West, Transmission sub-station, Ipaja-Ayobo, Lagos, said as the government provides funding to the transmission expansion that has resulted in a strengthened transmission capacity, the private investors of the distribution sub-chain should recapitalise to be able to distribute their load allocation.

    He said: “They are also improving but it might not also be at the same pace because the Federal Government is providing our funds. Their problem as far as fund is concern, they also need to recapitalise. Their network needs to be upgraded so that they can deliver energy to the Nigerian people.”

    Technically, transmission capacity is expected to double that of transmission, but in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry, distribution capacity is a far cry from the transmission capacity of about 7,000Megawatts (Mw).

    When the team got to Akamgba sub-station, the Assistant General Manager of Transmission, Engr. Anthony Dim, said there was consistent increase in capacity, stressing that for the past two years “we have experienced capacity increase in virtually all the sub-stations.”

    Within the period, according to him, two MVAs have been added with 300MVA on the site, which would be completed before year end.

    He said the station has an idle load that it “was waiting to be picked up by Eko DisCo. We are trying to ask them to come here because we have more than enough capacity,” he said, stressing that “Eko must evacuate the load by the time they are not evacuating we will be reducing generation. For instance, if the generation is high, it can also lead to system collapse.

    “And that is why we cannot guarantee that system collapse is now history. It is a function of the load that is in the system. If the load in the system is not evacuated, the frequency will be extraordinarily high and it can lead to system collapse.

    “With the addition of the 2/60MVA transformer, we are set to increase the capacity. So we have so much load here that we are waiting for the DisCo to tap into from this station.”

    While at Ejigbo 132/33KV substation, the capacity is presently 250MVA, by the time the 100MVA is commissioned, the capacity would have increased to 300MVA. Besides, a mobile transformer is presently bridging the gap when the need arises, its Assistant General Manager, Akintola Mojeed, said.

    He said the TCN was interfacing with the DisCos on how to catch up with the transmission expansion by radiating another feeder in Igando and Ijegun, two Lagos suburbs, to separate the two locations.

    Speaking with reporters at the Ejigbo sub-station, the Deputy Director of Press, Etore Thomas said “we are transmitting more and generating less.”

    She however added that the DisCos were doing the “needful but they should step up their capacities.”

  • Blackout looms in Lagos over TCN sub-station shutdown

    There will be a total blackout in Itire and its environs of Lagos as the Management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has proposed a four-hour power outage due to routine maintenance.

    The maintenance which would necessitate the power outage is expected to be carried out on equipment at the Itire 132KV Transmission Sub-Station in Lagos on March 27.

    Mrs Ndidi Mbah, General Manager (Public Affairs) of TCN, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

    According to the statement, the scheduled maintenance is necessary for the sub-station to maintain effective supply of electricity to the areas concerned.

    It explained that the proposed maintenance would disrupt 34 megawatts of electricity supply to customers around Ago, Okota, Ilasamaja, Ijesha, Itire and their environs.

    “The planned outage will enable TCN engineers from the Akangba sub-regional office in Surulere to carry out routine maintenance work on all the equipment at its Itire Transmission Sub-Station.

    “The maintenance will also cover a 132KV insulated indoor switchyard for improved electricity supply to customers in the above-mentioned areas.

    “TCN, therefore, appeals to customers that take supply from distribution load centres covering the areas mentioned above, to bear with it for four hours on Tuesday, March 27.

    “The management of TCN apologises for the inconveniences that may result from the temporary disruption of supply to customers within the affected areas.

    “TCN promises to continue upgrading and maintaining its equipment to serve Nigerians better, in line with the Federal Government’s strategy on incremental power supply to the people.’’

  • EEDC loses N15m to Aba power outage

    EEDC loses N15m to Aba power outage

     Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has lost over N15million to power outage, following equipment failure at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which has thrown Aba, Abia into darkness.

    Chukwuemeka Eze, Head, Communications, EEDC, made this known in an interview with the Newsmen in Aba on Thursday.

    He explained that the blackout happened on Saturday, February 10, following a Circuit Breaker failure at TCN, Aba station.

    He said that the Circuit Breaker failure had caused the disconnection of some EEDC feeders in Aba resulting in the blackout being experienced in most parts of the commercial city since Saturday.

    Read Also:Vandalism: EEDC  secures conviction, remand of offenders

    Eze said that the failure affected 91 transformers causing power outage in most parts of Aba for more than a week now.

    He noted that the affected transformers were located in areas within Aba North, Aba South and Obingwa Local Government Areas.

    According to him, areas most affected were Ogbor Hill, Housing Estate, Ehere, Akwarandu, Ikot Ekpene road and New Phase of Umuobe.

    Eze noted that all the affected customers being served from the EEDC’s IGI 33KV and Opobo Road 11KV Feeders are out of supply now.

    He, however, said the Circuit Breaker failure was getting urgent attention to ensure timely restoration of electricity to the affected customers.

    Eze said the company regretted the inconveniences the disruption had caused its customers and assured them of speedy re-connection once the problem was solved.

    NAN

     

  • TCN says efforts on to repair Awka transmission station

    TCN says efforts on to repair Awka transmission station

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN ) says the transmission station in Agu-Awka, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra is being repaired to restore power supply to the state capital.

    The fault has thrown the state capital and its environs into darkness for over one month.

    Mr Abdulkareem Labaran, the Assistant General Manager (Operations) in Enugu office of TCN said on Tuesday in Awka that repairs were already on in the transmission station.

    Labaran appealed to electricity consumers in the areas affected by the blackout for more time and gave an assurance that engineers were working round the clock to restore the station to normalcy.

    Read also: PPA promises to link up Awka North communities

    He said the problem was not vandalism-related but normal technical issue.

    Labaran, however, did not give a specific time within which the repairs work would be concluded.

    “Work is going on and we are monitoring the development. I am sure in the shortest time the whole thing will be over.

    “I cannot give you a definite time because it is a technical issue. In fact, we ought to have completed it last week but as we were about finishing, another problem developed.

    “We are appealing that they give us more time. Our men are there working round the clock and throughout the week.

    “It is a peculiar case because the transformer is a mobile one and what they are working on is inbuilt unlike the other normal ones.

    “Where the spare parts are not available, our men apply ingenuity by fabricating,’’ he said.

    The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company ( EEDC ), however, exonerated itself from being responsible for the outage in the area.

    Mr Chukwuemeka Ezeh, the Head of EEDC Communication Department told NAN that the power outage experienced in Awka was as a result of a breaker fault at the TCN Station, Awka.

    “This affected supply to our Agu Awka Injection Substation, which feeds Awka and other neighbouring towns.

    “It is important to stress that this is not EEDC’s fault but that of TCN,’’ he said.

    Reports say that a team of engineers were seen working on the faulty transmission station when visited on Tuesday.

    NAN

  • TCN recovers 500 containers of transmission equipment

    TCN recovers 500 containers of transmission equipment

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), recovered 500 containers of equipment for electricity transmission expansion on Monday, the Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.

    He said the containers, which were left in the ports, were delivered to different transmission substations, and TCN sites where work is ongoing.

    Fashola, who spoke yesterday during the presentation of the final report of the 20 years Transmission Expansion Master Plan in Abuja, said: “As at yesterday (Monday) with that budget, we have been able to recover 500 containers belonging to TCN, containing equipment for transmission expansion projects that were left at our ports before President Buhari became president.”

    He said the impression that TCN could not wheel more than 5,000 megawatts is now changing, since as at  December last year,  TCN was able  to attain 7,125mw.

    He said the president has given a mandate for the improvement of the transmission capacity of the company, and that the ministry acted with the Power Recovery Programme and the N701 billion payment assurance guarantee, coupled with the grid expansion Programme.

    On the 20 years transmission expansion plan, Fashola said the essence was to avoid issues of stranded power in the future. He said attaining the vision will depend om hardwork. He said: “Don’t pray about, it is about hardwork, it is not prayer. It is a statement of commitment and that is why everybody is here to play his role.”

    Fashola said the plan was a milestone to the incremental, steady and uninterrupted power supply mantra of the ministry under his watch.

    Meanwhile, the TCN, Interim Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, said the 20-year master plan was conceived after the delivery of the National Load Demand Study by Tractebel in 2009, saying after the conclusion of the National Load Demand, it became necessary for the nation to have the least Cost Transmission and Generation Master Plan in order to meet the demand as explained in the load demand report.

    He said TCN engaged Fitchner of Germany under the NEGIP, which is a project financed by the World Bank in November 2015.”

    Mohammed said the study started with data collection aimed at establishing the basis for the assignment, but the data collection was followed by clarification by TCN System Planning Team in 2016.

    He said the major issue that affected the work flow was the establishment of a schedule for collecting demand and load shedding data from the DisCos.