The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has provided reasons for the incessant power failure and current load shedding being experienced across the country.
The TCN has attributed the power crisis to the very low power generation by the Power Generating Companies (GENCOs) for it to wheel through the transmission grid to distribution companies nationwide.
This disclosure is contained in a statement titled, ‘Power Generation and Ongoing Load Shedding Nationwide’, issued on Tuesday, March 8, by TCN and signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.
Mbah, who stated that the cumulative power generation nationwide has been low, dismissed reports that the TCN has reduced load allocation to distribution companies as it can only transmit the quantum of power generated by GENCOs through the national grid to distribution load centres nationwide.
What the TCN is saying
TCN said that it only allocates power to power distribution companies based on percentage formula approved by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The statement from TCN partly reads,
- “The Transmission Company of Nigeria wishes to notify consumers of electricity that the current load shedding being experienced nationwide is as a result of very low power generation by the Generation Companies (GENCOs) for TCN to wheel through the transmission grid to distribution companies nationwide.
- ‘’The media has been awash with reports that TCN has reduced the load allocation to distribution companies. That information is incorrect. The correct position is that TCN can only transmit the quantum of power generated by GenCos through the national grid to distribution load centres nationwide.
- ‘’For clarity, TCN does not generate electricity and therefore can only transport cumulative generation from all the generation companies nationwide to distribution load centres. The distribution companies are responsible for end-users consumption. TCN allocates power to distribution companies based on approved percentage (formula approved by NERC), of the total generation available per hour or on day-ahead nomination.’’
The TCN in the statement noted that it would continue to load shed until cumulative power generation increases considerably for it to transmit to distribution companies nationwide.
It added that it will continue to work hard to ensure the efficient allocation of the total load generated by the power generating stations into the grid, bearing in mind the need to ensure that the national grid is stable in spite of the challenges posed by the insufficient load on the transmission grid.
What you should know
- It has become common knowledge that the power supply situation across the country has been very poor recently especially at a period fuel scarcity has been a source of serious concern.
- Recall that Nairametrics in its earlier report provided reasons for poor power supply across the country, despite an unannounced increase in electricity tariff by DisCos.
- The DisCos had attributed the persistent poor supply to the load shedding by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as a result of power generation, adding that the drop is due to low allocation from National Grid occasioned by low generation from the Generating Companies (GenCos).