The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) has commenced a Nationwide Technical Monitoring and Evaluation of the primary 33KV feeder lines and associated 33/11KV injection substations with supply source from 330/132/33KV transmission substations.
According to an official statement, the exercise aims to identify constraints militating against quick realization of the Federal Government’s policy and efforts for sustainability of the incremental, stable and uninterrupted power supply as they are achieved through the 33KV primary feeder lines to the 33/11KV injection substations and subsequently through the 11KV feeder lines and associated distribution transformers and finally to the consumers. Also this is to identify the high risk and technical loss points along the 33KV feeder lines. Again this is to enable us find out the causes/reasons for load rejection by the DisCos and to make recommendations for dealing with identified issues/challenges.
Engr. Peter O. Ewesor, the MD/CEO NEMSA & Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, while on one of the inspections, said “the importance of the exercise cannot be overemphasized in light of the spate of the increasing number of electrical accidents and incidents, power failures/outages at the downstream-of the power value chain (power distribution networks) even when there is a huge increase in power generation in the grid system”.
The exercise, which commenced on the 18th of October, 2017, has so far covered Abuja, Ikeja, Kano, Benin, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Enugu DisCo’s networks and the exercise is still ongoing.
Furthermore, Engr. Ewesor said “the exercise will identify high risk defective networks that pose serious threat and danger to operators’ operational staff and the general public for immediate attention and correction/rectification by respective DisCos and TCN.
Therefore, the importance and the expected positive impact of this National Technical Monitoring and Evaluation exercise which is part fulfilment of NEMSA’s mandate cannot be overemphasized.
During the exercise, some of the DisCos were given immediate order to effect rectification of the defects and lack of procedures that were observed.