EXCLUSIVE: We will deliver two units of transformers to Nigeria in October -Siemens
Oredola Adeola
As part of efforts to provide Nigeria with better access to stable, reliable, and affordable electricity, Siemens is set to deliver the first batch of 2 units of transformers out of 10 mobile transformers and 10 mobile substations, ordered by the Federal Government under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).
Sean Manley, PPI Project Director, at Siemens Energy, made this known in an exclusive chat with EnergyDay at the weekend. The transformers, according to him, would be delivered by October 2022.
EnergyDay check showed that the first batch of supplies is part of the transformers to be delivered by Siemens in phase 1 of the Nigeria-Siemens deal to increase end-to-end operational power capacity to 7000MW.
The €63 million Siemens deal was consummated by the Federal Executive Council in December 2021 and calculated to significantly improve the country’s electricity distribution capacity.
The PPI which was initiated in 2018 between Nigeria and Germany was designed to increase the power supply to 7,000MW by December 2022, from the current average of 5,000MW, with an additional increase to 11,000MW and 25,000MW thereafter.
Speaking on the backdrop of the visit of the FG’s delegates to the Siemen Energy Transformer factory in Trento, Italy on July 28, the Siemens Energy, PPI Project Director informed EnergyDay that the deal will lead to the upgrade of 105 transmission substations, construction of 70 new sub-stations and installation of 35 power stations, some 2,985 distribution transformers and only 24 Km distribution lines.
He said that after the successful Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) the equipment comprising 10 mobile transformers and 10 mobile substations will be shipped to Nigeria in batches, adding that only the first 2 units will be delivered by early October.
He said, “The two loose transformers (60/66 MVA) will be loaded for shipping at the end of August and they will be arriving in Nigeria by early October.
Speaking on why the equipment is limited to two instead of 10 mobile transformers and 10 mobile substations as reflected in the budget by the Nigerian Government, Sean said, “Mobile substations take longer to manufacture.”
He further noted that the payment for the transformers is only completed when delivered.
“The Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of this vital equipment is a major milestone in the progress of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). We take great care and responsibility to ensure our equipment meets the highest possible standards so that millions of people across Nigeria are provided with better access to stable and reliable energy,” Sean Manley confidently affirmed.
