Power firms decry poor transmission directives, records

Generation Companies (GenCos) have called on the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to implement the Online Dispatch Tool (ODT) to ensure transparency in the evacuation of generated electricity.

Some of the operators decried poor treatment from officials of the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo, under the System Operation section of TCN as they often gave arbitrary orders with poor electricity dispatch records.

Confirming this, the Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), Dr. Joy Ogaji, said TCN should implement the Online Dispatch Tool developed during the management period of Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) for better visibility of its activities by all parties.

An official at the SO section of TCN who was unauthorised to speak said it was routine for GenCos to be contacted by NCC to ramp up or ramp down power generation to stabilise frequency. “We also do this with the Distribution Companies (DisCos), telling them to pick or drop load routinely,” the official said.

The spokesperson of TCN, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, in a response said the firm has a Merit Order that stipulates which GenCo should come on and when it should.

“The merit order is enshrined in the Grid Code and this governs their actions in NCC. Our system engineers cannot leave dispatching first, the generating plant that is on priority for another one. It’s step by step; they follow laid down procedure.

“They are professionals and understand the importance of system stability and the critical role they play in the system generally,” Mrs Mbah said.