The Edo State Ministry of Power convened a high-level stakeholders’ engagement to address the state’s persistent electricity supply challenges, with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) outlining both progress made and obstacles still undermining reliability.
The TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement on Wednesday, said the meeting was held at the Conference Hall of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Government House, Benin City.
The meeting brought together key players across the power value chain.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager, Benin Region, Charles Iwuamadi, stated that TCN remains the critical link in the power sector value chain, responsible for transmitting bulk electricity from generation companies (GenCos) to distribution companies (DisCos) load centres nationwide.
He observed that while power sector challenges have persisted for over two decades, with national generation hovering between 4,500MW and 5,000MW, transmission capacity in Edo State and the nation at large is adequate and has continued to grow.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen bulk power transmission in the Benin axis, citing the newly commissioned Ihovbor-Ajaokuta Transmission Line 1, which evacuates power from Benin to Ajaokuta and onward to Abuja, as well as the turn-in-turn-out project at the Irrua Transmission Substation, which is expected to further enhance bulk power transmission upon completion.
Mr Iwuamadi explained that TCN lines within the region operate on an N-1 contingency arrangement, which ensures continuity of bulk power supply by providing an alternative line in the event of a fault, adding that the Benin axis has the capacity to restore bulk power supply relatively quickly due to its proximity to generation sources such as the Azura Power Plant.
He noted that the TCN’s capacity expansion efforts are being undermined by vandals’ activities, calling for stronger support from the state government and host communities to protect transmission infrastructure.
He urged the government to assist TCN in removing encroachments on the rights-of-way of transmission lines and corridors, noting that compensation had been paid before the installation of the transmission towers and lines.
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He expressed concern over recurring damage to critical assets, which often results in significant losses and sometimes requires weeks to repair.
Some miscreants, he said, have been arrested by security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), but stated that more needs to be done.
In other efforts to boost operational efficiency, he said TCN maintains a strict preventive maintenance programme, which is essential for the optimal performance of its equipment.
He urged distribution companies to adopt similar maintenance practices to help strengthen their distribution networks.
The Assistant General Manager (System Operations), Benin Region, Patrick Amos, clarified that while TCN evacuates all generated power and delivers it to the load centres of distribution companies, the management of supply to end users falls outside their mandate.
Participants at the meeting, according to the statement, included representatives of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Azura Power, GTL Power Ltd, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Meter Asset Providers (MAPs), civil society and community groups.
