THE Federal Government has advanced work on the Abuja Feeding Scheme project, which comprises the construction of two transmission lines and five substations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The managing director/Chief Executive Officer, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said in statement yesterday that the transmission scheme, when completed, would add 1,380mva transformer capacity, equivalent to 624 megawatts (mw), to the grid.
Abdulaziz also confirmed that the TCN had received, with the assistance of the Federal Government, a credit from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) to reinforce the high-voltage transmission ring around Abuja.
He noted that Abuja currently had only two 330kv substations and five 132kv substations.
According to Abdulaziz, “We are adding additional two 330/132/34KV substations and additional three 132/33KV substations in the FCT.”
He further announced that the increase in transmission capacity would improve power supply within Abuja and its environs, as well as positively impact the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
He noted that the Abuja feeding scheme was one of the projects under the Transmission Rehabilitation and Extension Programme (TREP) designed to tackle issues of transmission nationwide, and in specific locations.
He explained that under the TREP project, the TCN had been able to commission several transmission substations and installed over 30 power transformers across the country, and also achieved a frequency control within 49.8-50.2 in the last one year.
The TCN MD confirmed that the implementation of the project was ongoing, and would be set for completion and commissioning by the year end.
He noted that the 132 kilovolts Dawaki Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) near Gwarinpa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is one of the projects, has been completed.
“The project is just one of the five ongoing substations under the AFD-funded Abuja Feeding Scheme, comprising a 330kv substation, four 132kv substations, and their transmission lines, as well as a 330kv transmission line from Lafia to Abuja.”
THE ICIR reports that early this year, the AFD officials, during an on-the-spot assessment of the projects, lauded the timely execution of the projects.
The project site assessment exercise by the AFD team was part of its first mission visit for 2022, aimed at monitoring and providing timely intervention that would ensure a timely actualization of the projects.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.