From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
It is all smiles and happiness everywhere in Kano state, second most populous state in Nigeria, when the news broke that the long awaited power project, embarked upon for over a decade, is to be commissioned in a matter of less than six weeks.
The cheerful story came after the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, paid an inspection visit to the project sites, named Tiga Power Plant and Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant only to see that the gigantic work is only waiting for some finishing touches to be commissioned.
The project, when commissioned, would revive the hundreds years of economic glory of the state, which is tagged as the economic nerve centre of sub-saharan Africa.
The project is aimed at providing adequate power supply for the state’s moribund industries, water treatment plants and street lights, aimed at boosting the commercial activities, provision of portable water and lightening the commercial city to check the activities of hoodlums in the state.
On December 25th, 2022, Chief Secretary to Governor Ganduje, Abba Anwar releases a statement on the governor’s visit to the Tiga Hydro Power Plant and announced that the project would be commissioned in less than two months.
Governor Ganduje, according to Anwar, was satisfied with the progress of the work during his inspection visit to both Tiga Power Plant and Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant.
He also commended the efforts of state independent power company, Kano Hydro and Energy Development Company (KHEDCO), a limited liability company and contractors of the project.
The project was designed from the beginning of the process, the 10 megawatts generated from Tiga station, will be used to take care of Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant and metropolitan street lights
“With this, our water issue will be dealt with decisively. So also our street lights issues will soon become history. While this project will be commissioned on the 29th of January, 2023, we are still on similar project in Challawa Godge Dam, where we are generating 6 Megawatts,” Ganduje said at the project site.
“All the two needed licences for operations were secured since June 2021 from National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Licences for power generation and distribution,” disclosed the governor.
“In the next few weeks, the power generated from Tiga will be evacuated to Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant. As all evacuation lines from Tiga to Tamburawa are fully completed,” the governor explained.
Giving explicit description of the project, Managing Director of the KHEDCO, Engr Hadiza Ahmed Tukur, said the two generators in Tiga- one is vertical while the other is horizontal, are going to generate 8MW and 2MW capacity of power respectively, saying “that is why it is called Tiga 10MW Hydro Power Generation Station.”
According to her, everything is being completed, as pre-commissioning test is even ongoing because 80 percent of the test is completed.
She added that only two major outstanding works remain, which are Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) certification, while the second one is the automation.
“ Automation is the connection or linkage between the generation and scader system (computerized generation system). This is going to be completed in less than a week, then we open water to allow it run the turbines.
“We have gotten permission from Hadejia Jama’are Authority. They are now waiting for us. Whenever we are ready, they will open the water for us to run our turbines. The 8mw would be test-run on both no-load and load in the next two weeks time. By then, our NEMSA certificate might be out. While the 2mw would also be test run in few days. We hope to test-run both the two generation lines on load before 29th January,” Mrs Tukur explained.
She said the evacuation/ transmission lines have been 100 percent completed from Tiga to Tamburawa water projects, explaining that the company is generating 33KVA and transmitting the power also at 33KVA.
On reaching to Tamburawa water project, according to the Managing Director there is stepdown 33/11KVA, which is equivalent to 7.5MVA transformer.
“On reaching Tamburawa water treatment plant, we have our stepdown transformer- 33.11, 7.5MVA. This 7.5MVA, the power would be transmitted from Tiga to Tamburawa at 33KVA, which will enter the transformer to step it down to 11KVA, where we call it 33/11 stepdown. So when it stepped-down to 11KVA, it will move into our control room at Tamburawa and then to our control panel.
XIn the control panel, we made two selections- one is for our hydro power and the other one is for KEDCO for general electricity supply. We made these two selection because we may decide to shut it down at the end of every year, may be for one week or 10 days so as to carry out maintenance.
“That is why we have made this selection process because, for instance, when we are carrying out maintenance on hydro power, so our Tamburawa treatment plant would run on NEPA line, so we can select at either hydro power or NEPA. So, we thank God the project at Tamburawa is 100% completed, even the control room is 100% completed.
“Then from the Tamburawa substation, after the power from Tiga reaches the 33/11KVA , one line would move into the control room at Tamburawa and the other line would move outside, which is being linked with with 2.5MVA transformer substation along eastern bypass, and then link to the street lights,” the MD explained.
That 2.5MVA substation we went finally, that is where the power from Tamburawa would move in and then to our metropolitan street lights.
She explained further that in the 2.5MVA there are smaller transformers- one at Sa’adatu Rimi, the other at Kwanar Danhassan, while the other ones at CBN Quarters, down to Dangi, down to eastern bypass.
“From there, they will be picking power from that 2.5.VA to distribute to our metropolitan street lights.
“As it is now, even the 2.5MVA is 100 percent completed. So, in the next 4 weeks, Tiga 10MW would be ready. It would be transmitted to Tamburawa treatment plant. From Tamburawa to our metropolitan street lights.
“This would reduce the burden of paying huge amount on utility bills on government for water treatment plant or buying diesel to power street lights,” Mrs Tukur noted.
When this project is commissioned governor Ganduje would leave a legacy that would be of benefit to Kano state for many years to come.
The giant stride would certainly revive the Kano’s economic glory as the economic nerve centre of sub-saharan Africa.
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