*Sule Abdulaziz, Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, discloses the Federal Government designed the project to ensure there is no need for other substations in the FCT in the next 50 years

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Federal Government has said plans underway to add 817 Megawatts (MWs) of electricity to the national grid in order to boost power supply within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.

Mr. Sule Abdulaziz, Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), disclosed this development Wednesday while inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja.

Abdulaziz said that the project, which belonged to TCN and referred to as the Abuja Feeding Scheme, was being funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), a donor agency.

According to him, when completed, it would contribute an  1, 465 additional transmission lines to the grid, thereby, upgrading and reinforcing electrical power supply to the FCT, agency report said.

The TCN Chief said: “With the additional lines, TCN capacity of transmission lines will be higher than what is in existence and this means that in future, we can build some sub-stations without upgrading the lines.”

The project, he noted, will add five transmission substations, 143 kilometers of 330 Kilo Volts (KVs) and 81 kilometers of 132 KV transmission lines to Abuja.

Abdulaziz stated: “This is part of efforts to increase transmission wheeling capacity in the FCT and environs.

“The project is categorised into six lots and is far advanced in execution above 85 percent in total completion by December.”

The Managing Director of TCN further said that the project was designed by the current administration to ensure that in the next 50 years, there would be no need for other substations in the FCT.

He said: “This will be adequate and it will serve the population of Abuja.

“The government while making plans for the project has in mind that if the population of FCT increases within five to 10 years, there is a master plan that the station will serve the territory in the next 50 years.”

Abdulaziz noted the “construction of complete new 2x60MVA, 132/33 KV substation with 132KV line Bays at Wumba/Lokogoma including about 5km 132 underground XLPE Cable from New Apo Sub Station are ongoing.”

Others are construction of 2x150MVA 330/132/33KV substation at New Apo.

The Managing Director, however, frowned on the slow pace of work done by the contractor, report said.

Abdulaziz declared that the contractor, General Electric, has performed “abysmally”.

The contracts for all the substations were signed at the same time, and wondered why the slow pace of work, he said.

Abdulaziz as well stated: “We have spent a lot of money to clear their containers which entered demurrage and this money is not part of AFD grant but TCN Internally Generated Revenue which could have been used for other projects.

“We are going to push them to finish the project on time.”

His team also visited other sites, including the construction of complete new 2x60Mega Volt Ampere, and 132/33KV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Substation at Gwarimpa.

Others were the Kuje 132Kv Transmission line, the 3x60MVA, 132/33kv and 4x132kv Line bay GIS, and 33KV Metal Chad Switchgear at West Main Lugbe Substation, report said.