FG to spend N500bn on abandoned TCN projects — Minister

The Federal Government is to spend over N500bn to complete more than 100 abandoned projects for the Transmission Company of Nigeria across the country.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, stated this on Thursday, during an official visit to the Kano Electricity Distribution Company.

The minister was in the state to engage with stakeholders, including the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, to identify and tackle obstacles hindering optimal performance in the power sector.

He also apologised to Nigerians, especially of northern extractions, over the elongated days of blackout experienced in the last 15 days.

Speaking at the KEDCO meeting, Adelabu said the abandoned TCN projects had reached between 80 per cent and 95 per cent completion stages.

According to him, the ministry had already written a special position paper to President Bola Tinubu, appealing to him to make available a special fund in the 2025 budget for the projects.

The minister, who expressed dismay over the neglect of the TCN projects, said many of them had reached completion stages, adding that when completed, the projects would strengthen power supply across the nation.

On the power outage, the minister emphasised the need to revamp the transmission architecture, which currently relies heavily on Shiroro and Jos channels.

He stressed the need for investors to come in to boost power supply across the country.

Adelabu explained that exploring alternative power sources to serve as backups to the national grid had become necessary with a view to curtailing future occurrences of the collapse of the grid.

“This radial system leaves the northern region vulnerable to electricity disruptions whenever issues arise with these lines.

“This proactive approach aims to ensure that the region is prepared for any eventuality, including vandalism or national grid collapse, recognising the crucial roles various stakeholders play in achieving these objectives.

“Provision of electricity should not be the sole responsibility of the Federal Government,” he added.

To mitigate the trend of grid failure and attendant power outages, Adelabu advocated for the establishment of independent power sources within the state metropolis to support the national grid.