Eight W’Bank-funded power transformers arrive Nigeria

Eight power transformers funded by the World Bank through the Nigeria Electricity Transmission and Access Project have arrived Apapa Ports in Lagos, the Transmission Company of Nigeria announced on Thursday.

NETAP is an initiative of the Federal Government and its partners with the objective to increase the evacuation capacity of the transmission network in Nigeria.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, said the Project Management Unit of the transmission company received the eight brand new transformers, adding that the facilities would boost the evacuation of electricity nationwide.

She said in a statement that the equipment comprised six 150/187.5MVA, 330/132/33kV transformers and two 100/125MVA, 132/33kV transformers, and that arrangements were being concluded to move the facilities from the ports.

On the locations where the transformers would be deployed, Mbah said the 2×150/187.5MVA, 330/132/33kV, would be installed in Bauchi State.

“1×150/187.5MVA, 330/132/33kV in Mayo Belwa; 1×150/187.5MVA, 330/132kV in Yola; 1×150/187.5MVA, 330/132/33kV in Maiduguri; 1×150/187.5MVA, 330/132/33kV in Damaturu; and 2×100/125MVA, 132/33kV in Yola,” she said.

Mbah added, “TCN, through the EPC contractor (MBH), will move all the transformers to TCN substations mentioned above. The project is among the World Bank funded project under NETAP.

“The transformers are part of the ongoing grid expansion projects under TCN’s Project Management Unit.”

This came as the firm stated that its attention had been drawn to two consecutive recent false publications by a media house (not The PUNCH), that claimed that power generation dropped to 916 megawatts and 2,200MW in two separate cases.

Mbah said, “One of the publications stated that ‘power generation dipped to 916MW with only two out of about 24 power plants in operation, and that the decline in generation was from 3,787.60MW that 17 power plants produced at 13:00hours of the same day’.

“The newspaper claimed, ‘These were contained in the document of the Independent System Operator titled: ‘List of Gencos and their MW Load @ 14:00hrs on 15/01/2023.

“It further reported that the Association of Power Generation Companies attributed the decline in generation to grid disturbance.”

She added, “We regret to observe the information contained in the newspaper publications and the purported reference to a system disturbance were false and utterly baseless.”