Sparkonline

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has revealed its plan to increase the wheeling capacity of the national grid by  about 3000MW. The news was given by the Interim Managing Director of  TCN, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, while giving a speech at the  23rd monthly meeting with operators in the power sector in Nasarawa in which he said the company  intended to embark on massive re-conductoring of transmission lines this year.

Read More: TCN Blames Poor Wheeling Power On N100bn Debt 

 He said: “This is expected to significantly increase the wheeling capacity of the national grid  (between 2,000MW to 3,000MW). TCN is already in discussion with World Bank to use the balance under Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project, NEGIP, to procure the conductors. “The Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme, TREP, which you strongly supported seeks to stabilise, expand and provide the needed flexibility to the Distribution Companies, DISCOs, for them to effectively supply their customers.”

“The TREP program has attracted significant interest from several donors. One of the donors which signify interest in TREP is the World Bank with the sum of $486 Million. The FGN led by Federal Ministry of Finance has concluded the negation of NETAP last month. “TREP also includes strategies for completing existing projects either through in-house capacity or through the fast-tracking existing contracts.   Through this process, several transformers and substations will be completed in the first quarter of 2018.

“As part of the strategy of TREP, NEGIP, which was implemented for eight years, had 50 percent disbursement rate as at February 2017. The disbursement rate has increased to 80 percent between February to November 2017 (30 percent in less than a year). “This substation reinforcement and many others you would commission between this month and March 2018, Honourable Minister, are part of the success of our new strategy in project implementation that significantly empowered the regional offices.”

Read more: TCN Completes Transmission projects to add 1100MW to Grid

Mr Mohammed also acknowledged the effort of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, for his outstanding leadership in managing the recent instability caused by gas supply shortage to power plants in the Lagos axis.