UPDATE: FG to unbundle TCN as power sector receives fresh N600bn intervention

The Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN), Mr Usman Gur Mohammed on Wednesday said plans are underway to unbundle the company for better performance.

This is even as the power sector received a fresh approval of N600billion intervention in the power to settle the shortfall in the electricity market.

The MD who made the disclosure at the Market Operator’s Participants/Key Stakeholders 2019 3rd Quarter Interactive Forum held in Abuja said the unbundling will birth a separate Transmission Service Provider (TSP) while the Independent System Operation (ISO) will be with the market operators.

He said: “Our intention is to midwife TCN in such a way that TCN will cease to exist. There will be a separate Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and the Independent System Operation (ISO) will be with the MO. I am doing everything possible for that.”

He explained that for the unbundling process to be a success, there is a need for a functional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and the Electricity Management System (EMS).

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According to him, the country has failed three times in the past to secure SCADA adding that the TCN was procuring fibre optic for some critical lines towards attaining the SCADA.

“Fixing SCADA will take about two years, so we have segmented it to start with the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) where all energy will be accurately metered and every market participant will have access to that. Nigeria has failed three times and if this fails, it will be the fourth time,” he said.

In view of this, he said 15 staff of the company will be trained. He added that five each will be trained on the software, hardware and the communication aspects of SCADA.

“We are going to train them anywhere in the world, even if it will cost us N$3 million, we will do it,” he maintained.

The MD further disclosed plans to expend $5 million on the digitisation of its substations’ control rooms nationwide for enhanced SCADA operations.

On the fresh N600billion intervention, the Market Operator, Engr. Edmund Eje said the already approved sum is at disbursement level and would be pumped into the country’s electricity market.

He explained that the entire electricity value chain will benefit from the intervention, adding that this will settle the shortfall in electricity invoices for the entire market.