DisCos Call for NERC Probe of TCN’s Allegation

• 7614.99MW rejected by Discos in four days, TCN alleges

The recriminations between the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over power supply challenge deepened Thursday, with the former asking the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to probe repeated claims by the TCN that they rejected electricity transmitted to them to distribute to homes and offices.

Their renewed quarrel followed an allegation by the TCN that between August 22 and 25, the Discos rejected to take 7,614.99 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the national grid to Nigerians.

The TCN in a statement Thursday by its General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, said the Discos had repeatedly declined to take power from the grid, thus leaving the grid with stranded volumes of electricity.

It added that within the four-day period, the Abuja Disco declined to take 480.99MW from the grid; Benin Disco declined to take 867.43MW; Enugu – 809MW; Eko – 762.43MW; Ibadan – 814.92MW; Ikeja – 1062.58MW; and Jos – 465.3MW.

It equally noted that Kaduna; Kano; Port Harcourt and Yola Discos respectively refused to accept 752.45MW; 918.87MW; 528.97MW and 152.05MW from the grid to supply their customers.

The TCN said the Discos’ umbrella association, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), was wrong in its recent claim on electricity load distribution, adding that it was incorrect for the Discos to claim that TCN has not been able to deliver the volume of power they demanded from the grid daily.
“Take for instance Kano Disco, on the 22nd of August 2019, Kano Disco nominated to take 310.60MW while the MYTO allocation to Kano Disco was 359.38MW.

“It is important to clarify that the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) allocation is a percentage of electricity on the grid that is made available to all the Discos. Discos day ahead nomination is what the Discos say they can off-take out of the MYTO allocation for the next day, while actual consumption is what they eventually take from the available MYTO allocation at the TCN/Disco interface points,” said the TCN.

For Kano Disco, even though it nominated to take 310.60MW, it was able to actually off-take only 154.17MW, leaving a total of 205.21MW representing 57.10% of MYTO allocation to it unutilized.

According to it, Kaduna Disco on the same day also requested for 280.00MW while MYTO allocation to them was 359.38MW. It, however, reportedly collected 166.52MW from TCN substations, leaving 192.86MW.

But responding to the TCN, the Executive Director, research and Advocacy of ANED, Mr. Sunday Oduntan, stated that the Discos would want the NERC to comprehensively probe the load rejection claims of the TCN.

Oduntan, said the claims had become prevalent and the Discos were frustrated with it, hence, the request on NERC to independently investigate and uncover the true situation.

“We don’t respond to inaccuracies; we have published our own story. Let there be an investigation to what we have published as against their own lies. This is scientific and there is nothing to respond to, we will not be going back and forth with them because it is scientific.

“The facts are there, let the regulator come in and investigate and come up with their own findings. We got our information from the TCN and if we got that from the System Operator which is within the TCN and they are not secret information, then we are not doing propaganda.

“We put out that information to show that they gave us less than what we requested. Let anyone who is not happy go to the regulator and let the regulator investigate and come up with its findings. We are not joining issues with anyone because we are beyond that and are for the stabilization of the Nigerian power system,” Oduntan said.

Source: THISDAY