Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said Nigeria’s power transmission capacity grew by 1,900 megawatts (MW) in 2017.
The minister, who spoke at the 23rd monthly power sector operators’ meeting held in Nasarawa State, stated that capacity grew from 5,000mw to 6,900mw.
According to Fashola, power generation also increased from 3,000mw in 2015 to 7,000mw in 2017.
“Generated power has gone up to 7,000mw in 2017 from 3,000mw in May 2015; transmission capacity at 6,900mw in 2017 from about 5,000mw in May 2015; and peak distribution now averaging 5,000mw in 2017 from 2,690mw in 2015.”
Fashola also said: “In the last three months, we have increased the supply of power in the dry weather and people’s experience with power was better. We must thank the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for the increase in gas supply.”
Last year, the Interim Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Mr Usman Gur Mohammed, had said the firm targets 20,000 megawatts transmission capacity in the next three years.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has disclosed that 113 were killed and about 77 others injured from 146 electrical accidents that happened across the country in 2017.
The agency made this known in a report it presented at the 23rd Power Sector Meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, wherein it noted that networks belonging to nine of the 11 Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) have been inspected.
Presenting the report, the Managing Director of NEMSA, Mr Peter Ewesor, said seven persons were electrocuted in five accidents that occurred last month.
He also urged the inspected Discos to intensify efforts at revamping their protection schemes and equipment and educate the public on the need for extreme caution using electricity.
He added that, “Operators of the power sector to note that the target for electrocutions nationwide is zero.”
From the report of the accidents for December 2017, Eko Disco recorded one accident which claimed one life; Port Harcourt Disco recorded two accidents which killed three persons; Abuja Disco recorded an accident that claimed two lives while Kano also recorded one death from one accident.
From the statistics, 190 people were victims of 146 electrical accidents throughout 2017 in which 113 people died in 95 accidents while 77 others sustained injuries in another 51 accidents.
Acccording to Mr Ewesor, “The national monitoring and technical evaluation of all 33kV primary feeder lines and associated 33/11kV injection substations and their outgoing feeders on-going with nine Discos has been concluded.”
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