Transmission infrastructure neglect worsens power supply – Investigation

For many years, successive governments have focused on power generation, neglecting transmission and its infrastructure.

 Disregard for the upgrade and completion of power transmission infrastructure is one of the major problems that have plagued the nation’s power sector, investigations revealed that between 2012 and now, the Federal Government through the Transmission Company of Nigeria has completed no fewer that 21 power transmission projects.

Sixteen of the projects were completed in 2012, while the remaining five were inaugurated this year.

Findings showed that of the projects completed last year, the government spent about 11 years to deliver five transmission infrastructure.

Two out of the five projects, the 2×30/40MVA, 132/33kV substation in Umuahia and the 132kV double circuit line in Alaoji-Umuahia, both in Abia State, were commenced in November 2001, but dragged till May 2012 before they were completed.

The Mbalano-Okigwe 132kV single circuit line in Abia State was started in September 2001, but was completed in November 2012; while the 150MVA, 330/132/33kV transformer and the 330kV bays in Onitsha, Anambra State, and Benin, Edo State, were completed last year though work began on them in May 2001.

A document on transmission projects completed in 2012, obtained exclusively by our correspondent, showed that it took six years for the government to complete the 2x150MVA, 330/132/33kV substations and line bay at Alaoji, Cross River State.

It took four years to complete the 2x30MVA substation at Makeri in Jos, Plateau State; while the rehabilitation of the Sokoto-Talata Mafara 132kV line was done in five years.

The document stated that the government spent three years on the Afam-Port Harcourt 132kV double circuit turning in and out at the Port Harcourt main transmission station.

It disclosed that three years was also spent on the 1x30MVA, 132/33 KV substation at Kwanar Dangora, Kano State, while the fastest of the projects was the “reconductoring” of the Afam-Port Harcourt 132kV line, which was completed in one year.

Four other transmission projects were completed last year, but their commencement dates of operation were not stated by the document.

Within the last four weeks, TCN completed the in-house installation and inauguration of 60MVA, 45MVA and 30MVA, 132/33kV power transformers in Ibadan, Oyo State; Suleja, Niger State; and Akure, Ondo State, respectively.

Also, a 150MVA, 330/132/33kV power transformer provided by the World Bank through the Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s Project Monitoring Unit was installed in collaboration with TCN engineers within the same period in Ibadan.

Only last week, the transmission company announced the inauguration of a 80MVA substation in Tamburawa, Kano State.

However, the dates of commencement of operation of the projects completed this year were not stated in the document.

Meanwhile, top government sources at the Ministry of Power and the TCN said the neglect for power transmission infrastructure by successive governments led to the weak state of the nation’s transmission network.

According to them, the quantum of power being generated in the country is far higher than what the transmission capacity can handle.

The officials explained that previous administrations had focused on power generation, but relegated transmission to the background.

A senior official in the Power ministry, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the subject, told our correspondent in Abuja, “This warranted the poor supply of generated power for TCN lacked the capacity to fully transmit the quantum of electricity generated.

“The good news, however, is that the Federal Executive Council, at its meeting last week, approved an amount running into billions of naira for TCN in order to address this shortfall. In addition to that, the government will get additional money warehoused from the African Development Bank to tackle critical problems of transmission.”

Current nationwide power generation is around 4,000 Megawatts, but the Federal Government has announced plans to bring up the figure to 10,000MW before the end of the year.

The state of nation’s transmission infrastructure has, however, been criticised as being too poor to handle the generated power.

This, according to sources, prompted FEC to approve the sum for the transmission company.

The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had stated that the massive increase in generation underpinned the need for a robust transmission grid, adding that it was the weakest link in the power equation as it had a wheeling capacity of about 4,000MW.

Nebo said, “With government’s objective to achieve 10,000MW by 2014 and 20,000MW in 2016, the urgent need to expand our transmission capability to evacuate the projected additions becomes imminent.

“A total capital outlay of $3.4bn is required up to 2016 to bring our transmission grid to evacuate all the generated power. Government is working out the funding of TCN’s long term expansion plan from a mix, which will include the Transmission Development Fund, International Development Banks and multinational agencies.”

The minister explained that the available installed generation capacity had risen to 6,000MW, while generation capability had increased to 5,228MW with peak generation slightly above 4,500MW.

“We expect to add additional generation capacity of about 2,200MW from NIPP projects; IPPs, 292MW; and Federal Government of Nigeria legacy assets, 514MW before the end of 2013,” the minister added.

It was also learnt that the Federal Government was investing in large, medium and small hydro plants with total capacity of over 4,234MW in order to boost power generation.