The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced its ability to transmit up to 6,000 MW of electricity to distribution centres across the country.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, Mr. Sule Abdulaziz, the Managing Director of TCN, highlighted the company’s achievements over the past three years.
He stated that TCN has successfully upgraded multiple substations and constructed new ones, funded through its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and support from donor agencies.
Abdulaziz also noted that the company has installed new transformers to enhance its transmission capacity.
He stated that the grid capacity was verified using a scientifically accepted method of capacity determination.
He said, “TCN has a comprehensive list of proposed projects, which are in batches, taking into cognisance those that require little investment to benefit the grid in the first batch for quick additional capacity.”
“The last grid simulation test carried out revealed that it has a capacity of 8100 MWS. In March 2021, TCN successfully wheeled 5,801 MWS from generating companies to distribution load centres nationwide.”
“From then to date, we have continued to add more transformers, conduct transmission lines and build new transmission sub-stations among others.”
“All these we know have continued to further strengthen our grid capacity. So, yes, we can comfortably transmit 6,000 MWS and more before the end of this year,”
- He mentioned that TCN plays a significant role as a key stakeholder in the Nigerian Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) led by the Federal Government of Nigeria Power Company (FGNPC).
- He explained that the initiative is designed to address current challenges in the power sector and to expand the transmission and distribution networks’ capacity to reach an operational level of 25,000 megawatts (MW).
- He added that the PPI is being implemented in three phases, with ongoing projects contributing to the grid’s capacity.
Procurement of spinning reserves
- The TCN Managing Director also revealed plans to procure a spinning reserve to help maintain the national grid’s frequency within specified limits.
- He explained that the spinning reserve would stabilize the grid even in the event of a system fault or disturbance.
- However, Abdulaziz noted that this initiative would require collaboration with key stakeholders across the power value chain.
- He further mentioned that the company has proposed several projects aimed at closing the remaining radial loops in the network, thereby creating redundancy.
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