TCN, Jos DisCo Bicker Over Partial Power Supply To Gombe

….As TCN Records 20 System Disturbances In Five Years

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has faulted Jos DisCo’s claims of single handedly restoring power supply to some parts of Gombe just as it accused TCN of allocating only 5MW to it for distribution on Saturday, 27 April, 2024.

However, in its defense, TCN explained that after the vandalisation of its four transmission towers on 330kV Jos-Gombe transmission line, TCN engineers improvised and were able to restore supply through its Jos-Bauchi-Gombe 132kV line which could only accommodate 38MW.

This is even as the TCN claimed that only 20 grid collapses occured in the last five years.

The TCN General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, in reference to the Jos DisCo claims said: “As a result, TCN allocates 19MW each to Jos DisCo and Yola DisCo, which its Bauchi Region interfaces with.

“TCN notes unreservedly that Jos DisCo has 19MW to supply its franchise in Bauchi State, Gombe and Ashaka while Yola DisCo also has 19MW to serve its customers in Potiskum and Damaturu Town via Damagun 33kV feeder, Savannah and Yola Town.

“Importantly, TCN frowns at the claim by Jos DisCo that it restored supply on the vandalised transmission lines as the power infrastructure in question is not Jos DisCo’s, but TCN’s therefore, only TCN’s engineers worked on restoring bulk power through lines.

“We appeal that going forward, Jos DisCo simply states issues as they are to avoid misleading the public”, TCN stated and insisted that such reports are false and misleading.

Meanwhile, TCN has noted that in recent years, the number of grid disturbances/system collapses has gradually reduced, contrary to popular opinion.

It said: “Clearly, between 2020 to date (five years), we recorded fourteen total and six partial grid disturbances totalling twenty (20), which represents a 76.47% reduction in grid disturbance, when compared to the previous five years, (2015 to 2019) where we had sixty-four total and twenty-one partial grid disturbances, totalling eighty-five (85) times.

“This improvement is, however, not unconnected to the continuous effort by the management under Engr. Sule Abdulaziz to strategically expand the grid while harnessing in-house capacities to find solutions to grid stability, pending the deployment of SCADA/EMS.

“No doubt there is room for improvement, and TCN will continue to work hard to further reduce the number of grid disturbances to the barest minimum.”