By Abisola THOMPSON
The Ikeja Electric (IE) is to partner Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company (MEMMCOL), Nigeria’s foremost indigenous meters manufacturing company, on substation enhancement.
This, it said, was to enhance quality electricity distribution to consumers.
The Media Consultant to MEMMCOL Mr Bolaji Abimbola , made this known in a statement in Lagos on Monday during the handover of the Onipanu 500KVA distribution substation which is the pilot scheme of the partnership.
He quoted Mr Sunday Oyewole, the Chief Technical Coordinator of IE, at the event, as commending the management of MEMMCOL for the innovative concept which would transform and enhance quality electricity service delivery.
“Oyewole said that as the No.1 electricity distribution company in Nigeria, IE is concerned about the quality of electricity supplied to our esteemed customers.
“He commended the management of MOMAS for the innovation, which he acknowledged, would ensure greater efficiency.
“According to him, at Ikeja Electric, we will continue to push the limits in terms of managing our distribution network; we will look into the findings of your report on this project with a view to collaborating with you to bring this kind of enhancement to all our over 16,000 substations.”
Mr Kola Balogun, the Chairman of Momas, said that the substation enhancement project was conceptualised to push for migration of substations from the old-fashioned fuse-based to a more intelligent and efficient breaker-driven substation installed with surveillance in line with global trends.
“Balogun further said that the enhanced substation was an intelligent substation which would help to protect and optimise electricity transformers creating efficiency and ensuring load balance and control hitherto not achievable with the fuse-based substation.
“Beyond load balance which ensures efficiency, the breaker-driven substation is equipped with a reactive compensation capability to compensate for any anomaly that can happen in the substation.
“ In other words, the new enhanced substation would further position Ikeja Electric as a world-class DISCO to better serve all connected customers,” he quoted Balogun as saying.
Balogun said that the infusion of surveillance into the project would further showcase responsibility on the part of Ikeja Electric by monitoring and capturing everything that happened within the substation and the installed environment, thereby providing security not only for the substation, but also to the community.
“He added that the data from the surveillance could be used to ascertain any case of trespass or any other incident for purpose of review rather than assumptions or argument.
“According to Balogun, incorporating surveillance into the design for the enhanced substation is a smart two-way value proposition as the substation will protect the surveillance system, while the surveillance will protect the substation.
“He advised that this kind of strategy should be adopted in providing surveillance on the critical assets, highways across the country.
“Balogun said that the fuse-based distribution substation allowed for a lot of energy wastage and that the enhancement would save the DISCOs a minimum of three million naira by reducing leakages and improving efficiency and stabilities required at the electricity downstream value chain.
“Unfolding the features of the newly enhanced substation, Balogun said that the substation had a proprietary power enhancement panel cable termination and jointing using pfristerer lugs and connector.
“Others are up riser of 415 cable clearing and neatening, standard earthling and beautification of the substation and the installation of surveillance with solar panel,” he said.
