Expert advocates for digitalizing substation to replace obsolete ones

Worried by the incessant state of dilapidated fused driven substation occasion by obsolete fuse across the Country, an expert has said that there is an urgent need for the sector to move away from using old fuse, a digitalized fuse to drive substation with surveillance.

Speaking during the visits to some of the substations in the country, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Engineer Kola Balogun disclosed that the state of fused-driven substations are worrisome and becoming an eyesore to the communities where they are situated.

He stated that the objective is to provide technical appraiser and beautification of the substation with the option of providing uninterrupted power supply with surveillance into Nigeria downstream power sector as well to reduce technical losses and give revenue assurance to the Discos.

Balogun Explained that with what presently obtainable on the substations which negate the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NERC) codes on functions and performance of the reactive Compensation types of equipment at different voltage levels.

“Under the NERC distribution code. In addition to careering for active power demand reactive Components of power equipment should be studied and adequate measures should be taken by installing reactive Compensation equipment at different voltage levels in a phased manner to improve power actor and cause reduction of losses”

He noted that apart from the basic functionality of the reactive Compensation equipment DISCO must take power improvement measures at a strategic point in the distribution system by carrying out system studies and installing the required reactive Compensation Equipment.

The Metering boss said the company distribution intervention enhancement concept is a game-changer that give rooms for an alternative power supply to be injected into the public distribution transformer with metering to measure the consumption in both DisCos and the alternative power source independently.

According to him, the Concept is also an advance power solution and with the enhancement power panel replacing the generally known fused feeder pillar, up riser cable to 415 overhead line reconnection,415 cable joint reduction as well as surveillance infusion and beautification of the substation. This he said will better improve the network of the distribution system.

He further stated that the infusion of surveillance into the project would further showcase responsibility on the part by monitoring and capturing the activities within the substation and the installed environment.

“This will provide security mot only for the substation but also to the immediate communities and the data from the surveillance can be used to ascertain any case of theft or criminality for purpose of review rather than assumption.”

He stressed that the actual energy loss due to improper fuse or aluminium meter can accurately be gotten by the use of an infrared camera and the data used in this calculation is estimated from the amount of current used by industrial heater because the wrong fuse sometimes becomes hot even when a copper bus-bar is used as a fuse.