The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in a boost to power supply across the country, has announced that it had taken delivery of 15 new power transformers.
The power transformers which comprises of ten 60 MegaVolt Ampree (MVA) 132/33KV and five 150 MVA 330/132KV capacity transformers are expected to increase Nigeria’s electricity transmission capacity by 1,487 megawatts.
According to NAN, this disclosure is contained in a statement issued by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, on Sunday in Abuja.
Mbah in the statement said that the transformers which were retrieved from the Apapa ports, were delivered to TCN Central Store in Ojo, Lagos State, for onward delivery to various TCN sites across the country.
What the Acting Managing Director of TCN is saying
The acting Managing Director of TCN, Mr. Sule Abdulaziz, said that the contract for the supply of the transformers, under the Nigerian Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP), was funded by the World Bank, adding that TCN would decide on the project sites the transformers would be installed.
Abdulaziz said that once installed and connected to the grid, the ten 60MVA 132/33kV power transformers and the five 50MVA 330/132kV transformers would add 637 Mega Watts (MW) and 850MW respectively to the transmission network.
He said, “Consequently increasing the total capacity of the transmission system by 1487MW while ensuring N-1 reliability criteria in the sub-stations, which is strategic in enhancing grid stability.’’
The TCN boss also explained that in August 2021, the World Bank-funded transformer supply contracts brought in 10 60MVA132/33kV transformers and 25 earthing transformers.
Out of the ten 60MVA transformers, five were installed in Karu and Gombe sub-stations, while two were currently being installed in Kano, and one in Lagos State.
He added, “This is the first time in the history of TCN that it took delivery of large numbers of transformers within a short period.
” These are milestone achievements for TCN, as it strives to implement its short-term development plan under the Nigerian Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion, and Rehabilitation Programme (NEGMERP).
“The World Bank-sponsored NETAP project is one of the TCN donor-funded projects aimed at expanding the transmission grid while also prioritising maintenance of the existing transmission infrastructures.’’
What you should know
- Recall that a few days ago, the TCN, in a move to reduce system losses in the power sector, commenced the digitization of old transmission substations in its network with the aim of improving the automation system of old transmission substations and their connectivity with the proposed TCN’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
- Also, earlier in March 2021, the then Minister of Power, Salem Mamman, presented a memo from TCN to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the procurement of power transformers.