The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has pledged to implement a backup or buffer system to prevent Nigerians from experiencing blackouts during national grid failures.
TCN Managing Director Sule Abdulaziz made this announcement during Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.
He attributed the frequent grid collapses in the country to aging infrastructure, some of which are over 50 years old.
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Abdulaziz said, “Presently, we are doing the scatter system for the whole network and it is funded by the World Bank, and the project will take two years to be completed, and now, we have done 70% of the project.
“Almost a month ago, we were at Gwagwalada (in Abuja) with the World Bank where we celebrated the project. It is 70 percent completed. Once we have the scatter system, it will reduce the frequency of getting system disturbances.”
“We are trying to upgrade all our transmission lines,” he said, adding that though the government might not have enough money for the project, the TCN has been working in partnership with private companies to mobilise funds.
“The honourable minister is now working with the presidency to have that approval. This is what we call the super grid.
“By the time we have it, even if there is a fault in one transmission line, you can switch to the one so that we have an alternative but now, the type of grid we have, once we have a problem with the line, you have no other line to switch on to,” he said.
The TCN Managing Director emphasized the need for ongoing investment in critical electricity generation and transmission infrastructure.
He noted that Nigerians are paying more for power because electricity production is challenging, adding that citizens on Band A now enjoy 24-hour electricity—a claim that many residents might dispute.
Abdulaziz also pointed out that despite the recent increase in electricity tariffs, power in Nigeria remains cheaper than in neighboring countries such as Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso, as well as other African nations.
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