The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it is ready to take over the old power structure at Ijora-Olopa, Lagos, for its workshop to repair damaged or burnt transformers.
The Managing Director of TCN, Dr Usman Mohammed, made this known during inspection of the power station in Lagos.
According to him, in the last two and half years, we have encouraged our engineers to install equipment and also to repair our faulty transformers.
He said: “I can clearly tell you that from the work they have done, our engineers are better than some engineers that came from abroad to repair our transformers.
“I am confident to tell you that all the transformers that were repaired by our engineers are in good condition.
“Most of the one repaired by the contractors did not last for three months after paying massively for the repairs.
“Meanwhile, they are doing these without tools. The question now is should we continue to pay heavy amount when we have our engineers who can do better than them?
“This is why we are looking at the possibility of creating our own workshop here, by converting the old power station structure to where our engineers will carry out the repair work.”
Mohammed said he had spoken to the Managing Director of Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO).
“He had agreed that we can look at this place, and that if it is an ideal place, then, we can go ahead with the plan.
“We are all government agencies, and we report to the same parent ministry.
“I don’t think there will be problem on how we will take over the place,” he said.
Mohammed, after inspecting the facility, said that it was ideal place for the TCN workshop.
According to him, this is ideal place for our engineers to work; we can rebuild, refigure and modernise it to our taste.
“If you look at the old metal, we can hang our crane here and do the necessary repair.
“This place is not far from the port; so, we can bring in new transformers here for test before we take them to installation point.
“We can test them here, especially those we don’t believe in their integrity,” he said.
On what will cost TCN to restructure the place, Mohammed said the company would hire a consultant to look at the structure and come up with the design.
“Until a design is fixed, we cannot determine the cost, but definitely, we will fix it and get value for money.
“The structure will be handled by people that have the capacity to do it well and at a cost reflective manner that is not expensive.
“The contractor may be local or foreigner,” he said.
Responding, Mr Nathaniel Fagbemi, the Managing Director, NELCOM, said the structure would be useful for the company to repair their power transformers.
Fagbemi, who was represented by Mr Tolu Abejirin, a Director in the Asset Department of NELMCO, said TCN had made a request to the company to use the structure.
“This is one of the old structures we were given to manage to be able to realise what the defunct PHCN was indebted to.
“The proceed of this place is to pay the liability.
“Then, TCN, being our sister agency, requested for this place for maintenance of their equipment and to repair their transformers on the grid.
“The structure is old and empty; we are to sell it and use the proceed to upset the liability.
“Now, TCN has made a request and being two agencies of the government, we can work together for a purpose,” he said.
Fagbemi said that the purpose of the inspection was to know the suitability of the structure for the purpose of repairing TCN’s transformers that were removed from the grid.
He also said the structure was suitable for it, adding that they were ready to oblige the company’s its request.
The present at the inspection were officials of TCN, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), NELMCO and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA)
The officials later proceeded to Alagbon Transmission Substation to unveil a repaired transformer that got burnt sometimes in 2018.
The transformer was repaired by the engineers of the company.
