TCN receives N565bn to boost power supply to 20,000MW in 4 years

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said a sum of $1.57 billion (about N565.2 billion) funding has been raised from multilateral donor agencies to expand Nigeria’s electricity grid to 20,000 megawatts (MW) in the next four years.

The donor agencies include the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), French Development Agency among others.

Speaking at a workshop on Tuesday in Abuja, the Managing Director of TCN, Usman Mohammed, said the fund was raised for the company to implement its Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP).

Mohammed said the TREP was initiated and approved by the Federal Government for the TCN to steadily grow, stabilise and modernise Nigeria’s transmission network so it can take more electricity from generation companies (Gencos) to distribution networks.

“The objective of the TREP also is to expand the grid to about 20,000MW in the next three to four years, this being done through the implementation of the TREP.

“I wish to tell you that the TREP has so far been able raise $1.57 billion from multilateral and bilateral donors. And, this is coming from the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), JICA, and French Development Agency,” Mohammed said.

He added that discussion was ongoing to raise more funds in the course of the implementation of the programme.

On his part, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Power, Engr. Louis Edozien, said the TREP would raise the grid to 10,000MW by 2019 and 15,000MW by 2020.

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The power sector of the country is faced with several challenges, last month, President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed worry over the $16 billion spent on power project during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying there nothing to show for it.

Two weeks ago, the rupture of a gas pipeline belonging to Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) which supplies gas to most thermal electricity generating plants in the country and some technical issues at the Shell gas wells led the TCN to shut down 6 power stations causing 1087.6MW drop in electricity generated into national grid.

However, the gas supply to generating stations rose after the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) restored the ruptured pipeline, making power generation into national grid to increase by 1304.3MW to 3,876.9MW last week.

But, according to Mohammed, the transmission wheeling capacity had risen to 7,124MW from 5,000MW before he assumed office, adding that it has also reached a stable frequency of 49.5 Hertz (Hz) and 50.5Hz – a level which had not been attained in the past 20 years.

 

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