Victor EzejaThe Nigerian government has announced plans to unbundle the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) into two distinct entities as part of efforts to reform the country’s power sector.
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, made this known on Tuesday at the opening of a Ministerial Retreat organized by the Federal Ministry of Power.
The minister said TCN would be restructured to become the Independent System Operator (ISO) and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP).
This announcement comes a day after the national grid collapsed. The national grid collapsed for the third time in 2023, leading to a total blackout in many parts of the country.
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According to the TCN General Manager Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the national grid which collapsed at about 1:49 pm on Monday has been fixed.
TCN is in charge of overseeing the country’s power grid and providing bulk electricity to distribution businesses and qualified consumers. The government acknowledged that TCN has been found to be the weakest segment in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Speaking further on the unbundling, Adelabu explained that it must synchronise with the evolving landscape of State Electricity Markets, adding that calls for the decentralisation of the national grid into regional grids interconnected by a new higher voltage national or super-grid, has become imperative.
While noting that the goals of the reforms introduced by the government to improve power supply have largely remained unmet, the minister urged stakeholders and operators to renew their efforts to ensure that these were achieved.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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