Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The federal government has said that it will deliver two units of 330KV power transmission substations in Katsina and Kano states , to raise power supply in the north-west region in the next 12 months.
The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Dr Sule Abdulaziz, disclosed this while inspecting the 330/132/33kV Katsina substation project and the Rimi Zakara substation in Kano.
Abdulaziz noted the transformers and structures were already in place at the Katsina substation, adding that on completion, it will improve the transmission of bulk power supply to Daura, Dutsinma, Kankara and Malumfashi.
“We are willing, and we want to ensure that we finish this substation within one year. We will also invite Mr. President to commission the substation,” Abdulaziz noted.
He explained that transmission line that will bring bulk supply to the substation from Kano was earlier affected by Right of Way (RoW) issues, disclosing that TCN and the government were collaborating on the matter.
“Processes have been completed and the contractor will be back to site and will soon finish his work and we will be able to commission this substation,” he pointed out, explaining that the substation facility has two units of 150MVA power transformers and two units of 60MVA power transformers.
At the 132/33KV Kankia substation where the materials for the 330kV Kano to Katsina transmission line are stored, Abdulaziz also said the line was awarded since around 2010, but the RoW issue in Kano affected the project execution.
“We have discussed with the Kano government, they have assisted us with paying for the land while TCN has concluded processes to for the structures. So the contractor is now free to come continue construction of towers and eventually the lines.
“We want to make sure that within the one year remaining for this administration, we will be able to complete that transmission line, so that Mr President will commission the project”
Also speaking at the 330/132/33KV Rimin Zakara substation in Kano State, the MD noted that the transformers, the switch gears, among others were ready and that it was almost 80 per cent complete.
“Everybody knows that after Lagos in Nigeria, the next city is Kano, but it has just one 330kV substation which is not enough, this new substation will bring to two the number of 330KV substations in Kano,” he added.
The substation, he said is almost 80 per cent completed and the transmission line that will bring power to substation is being executed, adding that the substation also has two units of 150MVA transformers and two units of 60MVA transformers.
Abdulaziz disclosed that the Kano State Government has paid for the land while TCN has concluded processes to pay for structures.
“The government has also given land to relocate those whose lands were directly affected by the substation project. By the time we complete this project, the line to Katsina will start from here and will feed the 330/132/33KV Katsina Substation,” said the TCN boss.
He also visited the 30MVA 132/33kV mobile transmission substation Bichi, which was executed in-house by TCN engineers. The substation has been completed and will improve bulk power requirement of the state water works, Bichi and environs.
Representative of the contractor of the Katsina project, Mustapha Maihajjo, explained that since the coming of this administration, 95 per cent of all the equipment requirements for the project had been procured.
Also, Special Assistant on Power and Energy to the Katsina State Governor, Mansur Musa, said that the people had waited for the project for a long time. “We believe that this project will be delivered timely as the contractor and the Managing Director of TCN promised,” he said.
