About Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)
In response to the increase in Nigeria’s demographic figures over the decades which is put at about 160 Million and the lack of commensurate increase in energy supply to meet the country’s growing economic and infrastructural development objective, the Federal Government of Nigeria realized that there was the need to break up defunct National Electric P
ower Authority (NEPA) into small, effective units, as adequate and efficient electric power is a major factor in modern industrial development. The unbundling of NEPA started when President Olusegun Obasanjo signed into law the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSR Act) which led to the formation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) with a transitory framework in March 2005. By this act, NEPA was unbundled into 18 companies: Six Generation Companies, One Transmission Company, and Eleven Distribution Companies. On its part, TCN was on July 1st, 2006 issued a Transmission License with the responsibilities of wheeling power at high Voltage, operate the National Grid and Market Operation Service
Coverage Area
TCN is spread across the country with 10 transmission regions in Lagos, Osogbo, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Shiroro, Enugu, PortHarcourt, Benin, and Abuja; a National Control Center at Osogbo; 3 Supplementary National Control Centres at Shiroro, Benin, and Lagos, and 10 Regional Control Centers. The company has a staff strength of 3, 875 as at August 2021. Since its inception, TCN has had the following as Chief Executive Officers:
Engr. Osakue - 2005
Engr. Labo - 2008
Engr. Isa Musa - 2009
Engr. AkinwunmiBada- 2010
Engr. Labo - 2010
Engr. AkinwunmiBada - 2011
Engr. Olusola O. Akinniranye from April - 2012
Engr. Don Priestman- 2012
Mr. Mack Kast 2013 - 2015
Mr. Paul Stefinsin - 2015
DipankSarma (Acting) - 2015
Mr. Mark Kast - 2015 - 2016
Engr. (Dr) Abubakar Atiku - 2016 – 2017
Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed - 2017 - 2020
Engr. Sule Abdulaziz -2020 to Date
VISION
To be one of the leading electricity transmission companies in the world
MISSION
To transmit electricity in the most efficient and effective manner
TCN MAJOR ACTIVITIES
The Company's major activities include
- Operate, expand/upgrade transmission facilities for efficient and effective wheeling of generated electricity
- Build Transmission Grid that can efficiently evacuate all generated power
- Create adequate network redundancies to ensure at least 99.9% reliability
- Reduce transmission loss to less than 5%
- Pursue Inter-connection with neighbouring Countries for power exchange with
associated cost savings from the sharing of reserve capacity and energy resources
- Improve TCN's revenue base to ensure a self-sufficient and self-sustaining company
- Ensure that safety and environmental issues are managed to meet international
standards.
- Standardization of procurement procedure to reflect International standard
- Provide an effective Project Management System
- Provide standard human capacity development of TCN staff for high level
performance. TCN therefore performs three major functions, which are
a. Provision of Transmission Services
b. System Operation Services
c. Market Operation Services
As Transmission Service Provider (TSP) :
1. It admits users who satisfy the requirements for admission in accordance with the
Market Rules
2. It evaluates and accepts Grid connections
3. It ensures metering at all Connection Points
4. It obtains necessary information from users of the Transmission Network to enable it
perform adequate planning operations and development of the Transmission
Network. As System Operator:
1. Dispatches Generated Units in accordance with The Grid Code at least cost, on the basis of Nomination by Generators.
2. Handles Power System emergencies and Power System restorations
3. Performs Demand Forecasts
4. Procures Ancillary Services and recovers the cost for procuring the Services
5. Coordinates Generation and Transmission Outages
6. Supervises compliance with, and enforces the Grid Code and Market Rules
7. Tests and Monitors Users' equipment to ensure their compliance with the Grid Code;
8. Reports scheduled and planned actions and unexpected occurrences such as faults to
Network Users and Regulator
9. Specifies the procedures for conducting system tests pertaining to the Network.
2.3 Market Operations:
The Market Operations under TCN, is an off-shoot of the Electric Power Reform Act of 2005. Its services are strategic in the execution of Market Rules as defined by NERC. The Market Operator is responsible for the Administration of the Market and the implementation of the Market Rules:
1. Market Administration:
a. Shall guarantee efficient, transparent, and non-discriminatory Market
Administration services to all participants
b. Shall facilitate the development of sustainable competitive Market
c. Adapt to Market or Regional Trading Agreements
2. Implementation of Market Rules, TCN
a. Shall implement the Market Rules and draft and implement any and
all requisite Market Procedures
b. Review the efficiency and adequacy of Market Rules and Market Procedures
and propose such amendments as may be required to ensure their efficacy and adequacy
c. Admit and Registers Participants
d. Organise and Maintain a Participants' Register
e. Calculate and recover Ancillary Services and Must Run Generation costs
when necessary
f. Centralise and Process Commercial Metering Data
g. Administer the Market Settlement Process and Market Payment System
h. Calculate and Settle Payments in Respect of Ancillary Services and other costs of Operating the System and Administering the Market
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
TCN supplies power to neighbouring countries in West Africa, namely: Niger Republic through 132kV lines from BirninKebbi to Niamey and Katsina to Gazaoua, total 95MW; and Benin Republic through 330kV line from Ikeja-West to Sakete.
