ANALYSIS >>

About, 43 months after privatisation, some sections of customers say most of these changes are yet to be significantly visible. Records show power generation was at 3,800 megawatts (mw) at takeover and now, it is just above 4,000mw with an available capacity of 8,500mw. Transmission is now about 5,000mw wheeling capacity and the distribution network capability is about 4,000mw.

The operators of Distribution Companies (DisCos) in their Performance Agreement with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) have investment target of five years to reduce the Aggregate Technical, Collection and Commercial (ATC&C) losses, speed up meter customers and phase-off estimated billing, and strengthen their networks to reduce electrical accidents. It is just 17 months closer to the target expiration and many customers are concerned as they are yet to see pointers to these anticipated improvements.

Power trips when it rains

Traditionally, the early and late rains bring to Nigerians memory of incessant and prolonged power outage. Research shows that such was the situation during the NEPA/ PHCN days.

With privatisation, it is expected that these doom days should have been long gone. Experts said the constant power outage experienced recently was due to aged and poorly maintained distribution networks since the take over. Some noted that these issues of the DisCos were overlooked by the authorities for some reasons.

Residential customers who spoke on this issue across some DisCos expressed dissatisfaction about this. To them, once there were signs of rain, the network trips off.

In a similar vein, a commercial printer, Mr Joe Onuche, in Makurdi Town, under Jos DisCo, said once the lines tripped off without notice, his offset lithography machines often suffered shock. A transmission expert, Engr. Anyebe Mike, raised concerns about this. He attributed the outage to inefficiencies in the DisCos’ networks; adding that the Generation Companies (GenCos) did not shutdown plants when it rained and that that caused load rejection and frequency issues.

Talking to some GenCos, Mainstream and Geregu for instance, complained bitterly on operating below their optimal level. They reiterated the fact that the constant instructions TCN (SO) gave to ramp down and reduce load was not commercially and technically viable for their operations.

They said several reasons were inhibiting the optimal performance of the GenCos; including sub-standard distribution network and lack of