From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has attracted over $1.66 billion from foreign donors for the implementation of various power projects embarked upon by it.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, the Managing Director of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, explained that most of the projects are at various levels of execution.
The new Managing Director who is still on acting capacity noted that procurement of most of the projects are ongoing based on Advance Procurement system adopted for the projects in agreement with the donors.
Abdulaziz who was appointed on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, also noted that since he assumed the leadership of TCN, he has been involved in the effective grid management that has led to the all-time peak generation of 5377.8 MW recorded on August 1, 2020.
“Shortly after, on August 19, 2020 TCN recorded yet another all-time national peak of 5,420.30 MW which was effectively transmitted to load centres (with an interval of less than three weeks), the latest being 5,520.40 MW on October 30, 2020 to distribution load centres nationwide — the highest so far in the history of the nation’s power sector,” he noted.
Listing his achievements within the few months he assumed office, he said that he has been able to fix some projects abandoned by his predecessors including the Gagarawa 2×60 MVA, 132/33Kv substation, in Jigawa State; 1x100MVA transformer at Ogba TS, Lagos State; installation and commissioning of 132/33KV 60 MVA transformer at Rumuosi T/S, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Others are installation and commissioning of 132/33KV, 60 MVA transmission at Rumuosi T/33,KV, installation and commissioning of 1x 150 MVA transformer at Kano. Increase in transmission wheeling capacity from 5,500MW in 2017 to about 8,000 MW” he said
According to him, for efficient operations and maintenance, TCN created two new work centres at Katsina and Jalingo. The Gwagwalada Work Centre, he noted, was also upgraded to a subregion.
“The 2020 promotion exercise is also ongoing while the new Career Promotion Progression Paths was signed on May 31, 2020, giving room for progression as most staff who were stagnated prior to the coming of this management are being promoted. Many offices that are in the organogram but was wrongly closed are now being restored hence staff are getting promoted and motivated,” he noted.