The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has launched a 20-year Transmission Master Plan that targets a wheeling capacity of 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2020 and up to 28,000MW by year 2035.
The Interim Managing Director of TCN while presenting the plan to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola in Abuja, said the company engaged Fitchner of Germany in November 2015 under the Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Programme (NEGIP) financed by the World Bank and was ready on December 22, 2017.
In their presentations, officials of Fitchner GmbH & Co, K.G. of Germany explained that 387MW will be exported from the 10,000MW targeted by 2020.
The transmission capacity would reach 15,000MW with 1,540MW marked for export in the year 2025. By 2030, the electricity grid will have a 23,000MW wheeling capacity and 28,000MW by 2035 from which 2,000MW will be available for export.
Power Analyst for the consultancy firm, Dr. Liliana Oprea said the master plan integrates training from TCN staff and the rehabilitation of many transmission substations financed by several international agencies including the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB).
Fashola who received the report said before 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari took over, transmission capacity was about 5,000MW but has improved to 7,125MW as at December 2017.
The minister said the presidential directive changed things and that it was followed with policies and budgetary support which helped TCN to clear 502 containers to complete several transmission projects to improve electricity supply.
He said the plan was to ensure that in future, there would no excuse of stranded power generation not being evacuated as the government was planning for the future. “In future, we should no longer have story of stranded power. That is power that is produced but not utilised because of no transmission and evacuation means,” he explained.
He assured that his team will work towards implementing the Plan while in office as he urged stakeholders in the sector to play the specific roles outlined in the Plan for them.
