Use of Outdated Conductors Causing Constant Grid Collapse – Investigation

Matilda Omonaiye/

Constant collapse of the national grid is being caused by weak and antiquated transmission network and insufficient evacuation of power from power generation plants, investigations by NewsmakersNG has revealed.

The extensive investigations into the power challenges in the country uncovered sustained use of out-of-date conductors from colonial days, along with older technology and lack of competition in Transmission Company of Nigeria Limited (TCN) conductor procurement process.

Conductors are an essential part of TCN’s network which evacuates electricity from power generation plants and transmit it to the network of regional distribution companies.

TCN, in its move to drastically reduce its transmission line failure and cut the line loss (i.e. electricity loss during transmission through its network), had adopted strategies which include replacing old and inefficient transformers with new ones, reconducting some lines with high capacity/low loss composite carbon core conductors and replacement of capacitors and reactors at needed locations.

Industry watchers say that reconductoring is the best way to address the antiquated network issue not only because of the high cost of constructing new lines but also the very difficult task of obtaining the Right Of Way which is also very expensive. There are many advanced conductor manufacturers in the US, Europe, and Japan that produce high capacity/low loss composite core conductors, offering competitive and innovative products to address power grid limitation and line loss issues.

Investigations also revealed that TCN has only adopted one brand of composite carbon core conductors named ACCC.  ACCC® is a registered trademark of one of the high capacity/low loss composite conductors, just as Nike is only one of many brands of sneakers available on the market.

NewsmakersNG learned that there are many similar and newer competitive conductors available worldwide, and by specifying only ACCC conductors during its procurement process, TCN effectively has failed to allow any other competitive composite carbon core conductor products to enter its network.

“The non-competitive process also affects TCN internetwork partners such as FGN power and regional distribution companies.

“The most recent TCN Performance Improvement Plan Order 035, available on Nigeria Electricity Regularity Commission website, in its Annex section, lists ACCC conductors as the only conductors of choice for all the reconductoring projects with all the regional Distribution companies including Ikeja, Abuja and Kano regions.

“Partial failure of the national grid is the direct result of TCN not opening its procurement process to the competitive high-capacity low loss conductors on the market,” an expert told NewsmakersNG.

There are also claims that ACCC conductors, with their naked fiber carbon cores, easily break, and their installation requires special equipment, tools, and especially trained linemen. TCN is not able to store ACCC conductors as spares since, given local weather conditions, the ACCC conductors deteriorate quickly and become oxidated and brittle, breaking up easily. TCN transmission lines with ACCC conductors, once broken, become irreparable, thus leading to the grid’s collapse.

There are transmission lines with ACCC conductors which were broken in TCN network and remained out of service for many years during which no repairs could be carried out due to lack of spares. 

The public bidding documents issued by TCN World Bank Project Management Unit for NTP-TR5E and TR5G, in volume2 section 7.1.1, regarding the storage of ACCC® conductors, states that:

“Conductor reels should be stored on a hard surface in a covered area away from chemicals, high heat and standing water. Reels should be stored in an upright position with a protective covering.”

According to the experts, it is simply impractical for Nigeria to use ACCC conductors which cannot be stored in the local weather environment.

In the same bidding documents from TCN for World bank funded NTP-TR5E and TR5F, in volume 2 section 7.1.5, regarding the conductor installation, states: “Adequate care shall be taken at all times to ensure the conductor is installed in a safe manner. Installation tools and equipment shall comply with the manufacturer’s guidelines. Conductor installation should at all times adhere to the manufacturer’s ACCC Installation Guidelines. 

“All installation crews must undergo training by manufacturer’s designated Master Installer prior to commencement of installation work. Whenever a new crew is introduced to the project, the new crew must undergo training by the manufacturer’s designated Master Installer prior to commencing installation. Should the team leader of a crew be changed, the new team leader must undergo training by the manufacturer’s designated Master Installer prior to taking charge of the team.”

This means that only the tools and equipment complying with and customized to ACCC standards could be used, and only the linemen trained and certified by ACCC could participate in the installation process. Most experienced linemen within TCN or in the local market will not be able to participate in the reconductoring jobs without ACCC’s signature of approval.  This puts TCN in a major cost disadvantage due to lack of competition.

Since 2012, TCN has signed multiple contracts with ACCC manufacturers and paid for variously sized ACCC conductors for its projects.  However, due to lack of the required skills and resources for installation available in Nigeria, the conductors shipped to TCN sites have been left unused and wasted, and the installation portion of the contracts have been left unfinished while the network is still in shambles. Such is the case for Onitsha-New Haven 330kV contract awarded over 10 years ago.

All the ACCC conductors procured by TCN have not added any value to the system either because TCN contractors have been unable to install them, or they are already degraded where they were stored.

The TCN has over the years been enmeshed in the controversy over the upgrade of the traditional Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSRs) types to high capacity/low loss conductors such as ACCC. The latest scandal about ACCC conductors and its non-competitive market manipulation practice was brought to light in 2017 by Premium Times during the Buhari years.

Industry experts say that composite core conductor field involves constant technology innovation, and many newer and better products are available on the market and have been in used by various utility companies in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Nigeria industry practitioners say the nation deserves to have the choice of best value high capacity/low loss composite core conductors to help repair and rehabilitate her power grid. There is great concern that if TCN goes ahead with only using ACCC conductors, the problem of transmitting more power and system failure will only grow worse.

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