By Danlami Nasir Isah
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $53.1 million and N2.1 billion as a local component for the procurement and installation of electricity conductors to boost power supply across Nigeria.
Abubakar Aliyu, who is the Minister of Power, made this known, while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the Council’s meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The Minister said the conductors, when installed, would help address the challenge of constant tripping of circuit breakers due to the overloading of electricity lines.
“The total amount for these four components of conductors is $53,131,128.93 plus an onshore component of N2,127,068,626. 45,” he said.
Mr Aliyu also explained that the new conductors would be used to upgrade existing power lines in order to enhance their operational efficiency.
According to him, “these are existing lines which are being upgraded. The wires will be removed and new ones put in place and the difference is that the new ones will be more efficient because they carry more load than the old ones.
“They will reduce sagging because once the wires are aged, they will sag and they become vulnerable and heavier.
“So, these ones are lighter and can carry more electricity so it will improve efficiency and address the challenges of constant tripping off of the breakers due to the overloading of these lines,” the minister said.
Aliyu listed the four components of the contract to include the 173-kilometre Kubotso- Hadeja line; the 105-kilometre Kumbotso-Kankiya line; the 90-kilometre Benin-Irrua line; and the 72-kilometre Irrua-Okpella line.
Other components are the 48-kilometre Okpella-Okene line; the 58-kilometre Okenne-Ajaokuta line; and the 394-kilometre Gombe-Biu-Damboa-Maiduguri line.
The minister also disclosed that FEC also approved a N1.46 billion contract for the procurement of 20 transformer ratio analyzers for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).