By Adewale Sanyaolu
The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has vowed to disconnect DisCos found to be using uncertified electrical materials and equipment.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation (CEIF), Mr. Aliyu Tahir, handed down the warning at separate meetings with Eko and Ikeja DisCos on the National Monitoring and Technical Evaluation of Primary Feeders and Associated Injection Substations held in Lagos on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Tahir said the law stipulates that before materials and equipment are deployed for use by DisCos, NEMSA must first certify them and give approval before they are put to use.
He said a situation whereby DisCos flagrantly boycott regulatory procedure by circumventing laid down rules would no longer be condoned.
He warned that going forward; any DisCo that deploys electrical material without NEMSA certification would be disconnected and be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He explained that the aim of the meetings with the NEMSA Taskforce Team was to identify the challenges at the interface points between transmission and electricity distribution networks that are hindering smooth power supply delivery in the country.
He added that other terms of reference for the Taskforce included; to check the 33Kv feeder by feeder capacity to determine their adequacy to support the downstream loads of the various distribution networks, to check the 33/11kV injection substation status in terms of safety of operation, delivery of safe and reliable power to the the 11Kv feeders and technical manpower adequacy/capability, to check vegetation and structures encroachment to Right of Way (RoW) of primary distribution feeder lines in Discos franchise areas.
Others are; to check if the 33Kv feeder lines effectively deliver safe, reliable and stable power to the injection substations, identify substandard electrical materials/equipment in the network, make recommendation for the removal and follow-up accordingly, check for any other encumbrances that are hindering smooth power flow from transmission substations to distribution networks.
‘‘Permit me to state clearly that we are not here to find fault but to help by working together to solve the problems of the power sector. For now, when the Task Force begins their technical inspection/assessment, the Disco is presented with findings and asked to rectify the identified defects/challenges. When this is done, the Disco is the first to benefit and then the country at large.’’
He maintained that this was not the first time such activity is taking place, saying in the past, accumulated findings were made by NEMSA and sent to the Disco but the compliance with the findings was poor.
Tahir, said NEMSA recently observed that lightening arrestors at the distribution sub-stations are disconnected indiscriminately from the circuit, this, he said, should not be allowed to continue as it puts the sub-station at risk of voltage surges due to lightening strikes or switching spikes.
Tahir called on Eko and Ikeja Discos to cooperate with NEMSA to stamp out inflow of bad/substandard electrical materials and equipment, to have a well-planned, designed and executed electrical installation works that would stand the test of time, reduce electrical accidents, electrocution and electricial fires within Eko Disco franchise area.