The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has said it is making efforts to reach 6,000 megawatts wheeling capacity by December 2016.
This is coming even as N9 billion has been released to the transmission firm from the N30 billion it is allocated in the 2016 budget.
Managing Director of the company, Engr. Abubakar Tambuwal Atiku, who briefed newsmen on Tuesday, August 23, in Abuja, said attaining the target this year was part of the five-year plan on increasing capacity to 20,000mw.
The TCN MD said: “We have planned a five-year expansion programme to meet the 10,000mw generation capacity of Mr President by 2019.”
“Although TCN has 5,500mw capacity presently, the new management assured that the 6,000mw would be met by completing the 22 projects that have been captured in the N30 billion appropriation.”
“By 2017, the wheeling capacity would rise to 7,500mw when it must have completed 31 other projects. It would culminate at 20,000mw by 2020,” Atiku explained.
According to him, the five-year plan, would be funded by loans and grants from foreign agencies, and public appropriations to the tune of about $7.5 billion.
The management which took over this month after expatriates from Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) had managed the firm for four years, said TCN is ring-fenced into the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and the Independent System Operator (ISO).
Executive Director for the ISO, Engr. Musa Gumel, said for nearly a month since the local team took over, the system had been stabilised while maintaining over 4,000mw wheeling capacity.
