The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has indicated that the current national grid collapses may continue for the next two years when it hoped to complete work on super grid.
The TCN Managing Director, Engr. Abdulaziz Sule, gave this indication while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He disclosed that most of the transmission infrastructure are outdated and have stayed over 50 years, which he mainly attributed to the cause of the current frequency of national grid collapses.
OPTIMUM TIMES recalled that Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Engr Abdulaziz Sule, had months ago appealed to the National Assembly for its intervention for proper funding of its ongoing critical projects meant for efficient power transmission nationwide.
He made the appeal while making presentations on ongoing projects, achievements and challenges of the company to the members of the House of Representatives Committee on Power led by its Chairman, Hon. Victor Nwokolo who where on oversight visit to Corporate Headquarters of the TCN.
He lamented that its 129 ongoing critical projects which requires a total finding sum of N1,791, 849, 390, 455. 49 have an outstanding funding shortfall of N637, 372, 812, 594. 89 there hindering its prompt completion and efficient service delivery.
Engr. Sule explained that most of the transmission infrastructure are outdated and requires replacement and expansion to meet growing demands of the increasing electricity consumers in the country.
He however while speaking on Channels Television, promised a backup or buffer system to ensure that Nigerians won’t be thrown into blackout whenever the national grid collapses.
Expressing concern over dearth of funding of transmission infrastructure, he urged that investment in critical electricity generation and transmission infrastructure must be continuous.
According to Engr. Sule, “Presently, we are doing the SCADA system for the whole network and it is funded by the World Bank, and the project will take two years to be completed, and now, we have done 70% of the project.
“Almost a month ago, we were at Gwagwalada (in Abuja) with the World Bank where we celebrated the project. It is 70 percent completed. Once we have the SCADA system, it will reduce the frequency of getting system disturbances.”
“We are trying to upgrade all our transmission lines,” he said, adding that though the government might not have enough money for the project, the TCN has been working in partnership with private companies to mobilise funds.
“The honourable minister is now working with the presidency to have that approval. This is what we call the super grid.
“By the time we have it, even if there is a fault in one transmission line, you can switch to the one so that we have an alternative but now, the type of grid we have, once we have a problem with the line, you have no other line to switch on to,” he said.
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