NERC wants TCN, others to improve capacity, services to save power sector
Amidst allegations and counter allegations of loads rejection by electricity distribution companies (Disco), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC has urged the Transmission Company of Nigeria to improve on capacity and quality of service it is offering.
The commission also advised the Discos to stop rejecting loading.
NERC told the TCN to act urgently to save the industry from collapsing by ensuring an effective supervisory control and Data acquisition (SCADA), adding that TCN needs to make reasonable investments in its network expansion and capacity.
The commission in a presentation at the 19th edition of the monthly power sector operators meeting held in Akangba, Lagos, also gave the same advise to electricity generating companies to improve their capacities, quality of delivery and capacity recovery so as reduce to barest minimum the level of damage that could be suffered by the Discos.
As for the Discos, the regulatory commission urged them to stop load rejection and adhere to the commitment they made as regards metering.
The Discos, it stated must aggressively upgrade their networks and also expand their capacities, adding that they must speed up the customers enumeration exercise.
It stated further that customer service standards must be enforced by completing the metering of maximum demand customers, improvement in timelines in fault resolution, communications of planned outages; improve market liquidity such as contract enforcement and sanctions for non compliance
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had decried the habit of the electricity distribution companies (Discos) of refusing to take maximum electricity loads allocated to them for distribution to their various consumers.
According to the TCN’s tweet on their load allocation for the period between August 27 and September 3, 2017, the Discos rejected a total of 22,277.53 megawatts (MW) of power produced by power generation companies (Gencos).
This is despite current records from both the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) indicating that well over 89 million Nigerian citizens do not have any form of electricity connections to their homes.
Yet, the Discos according to the TCN records refused to take up an average of 2,784.6MW every day for distribution to their customers, thereby suggesting that the rejected volumes were produced by the Gencos, and the TCN is unwilling to transmit them.
The Discos on August 27, 2017 collectively rejected a total of 1,351.47MW; the next day, they allowed a whopping 3,129.05MW to waste; while on August 30, they simply could not take up 2,841.1MW that was generated.
Similarly, their load rejection acts continued on August 31, when they failed to accept 2,656.46MW of power that was generated; on September 1, they could not take 2,713.95MW; as well as on September 2 and 3 when they could not take 3,010.59MW and 3,267.17MW respectively.
Olusola Bello