The Federal Executive Council (FEC), during its weekly meeting on the 15th February 2023, approved over twenty-six (26) billion naira for the procurement and installation of electricity conductors for upgrading of transmission lines nationwide.

The Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, FNSE, made this known when he briefed State House Correspondents on the outcome of the Council’s meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that the FEC also approved the procurement of twenty transformers ratio analysers; a state-of-the-art equipment used to test the reliability of transformers and switch gears at the total cost of N1.46bn for TCN.  

Aliyu said that the upgrade which is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and shore up power supply in the country, involves the re-conductoring of 132kV single circuit transmission lines to Double Circuit to help address the challenges of constant tripping of circuit breakers due to overloading of electricity lines.

“These are existing lines which are being upgraded. The wires will be removed and new ones put in place and the difference is that the new ones will be more efficient because they will carry more load than the old ones. They will reduce sagging because once the wires are aged, they will sag and they become vulnerable and heavier. So, these ones are lighter and can carry more electricity,” he explained.

The project which includes an offshore component of $11.19m and N421.49m onshore, will traverse across 173 kilometres Kubotso- Hadeja line; 105 kilometres Kumbotso-Kankiya line; 90-kilometre Benin-Irrua line; 72 kilometres Irrua-Okpella; 48 kilometres Okpella-Okene, 58 kilometres Okenne-Ajaokuta lines and 394 kilometres Gombe-Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri line.