Stop blame game, accept responsibility, AEDC tells TCN

By Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has strongly warned the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to steer off blame games, especially as its excuses was not in tune with standard engineering practice as it relates to the cause of Sunday’s fire outbreak at the Apo sub-station which destroyed a 45MVA transformer and several other fittings.

The warning followed an earlier statement by the TCN that the fire incident was caused by a feeder with history of tripping belonging to the AEDC.

In a statement signed by the AEDC General Manager, Corporate Communications, Oyebode Fadipe, he expressed displeasure that instead of doing a root cause analysis of the immediate and remote cause of the fire outbreak, TCN has resorted to blame game with a defense that is not in tune with standard engineering practice.

According to the statement, the basic explanation is that whereas the 33KV line belongs to the AEDC, the protection system at the source belongs to the TCN.

Further explanations by AEDC showed that “for a transformer to go up in flames, both the line and transformer protection apparatus belonging to TCN failed completely,” adding that it is the reason for the total failure of their protection architecture that should be investigated.

“The transformer that caught fire belongs to TCN. The protection apparatus for it are in the custody of and under the maintenance and ownership of TCN. In any power system all over the world, tripping from outgoing circuits of feeders as a result of fault is an expected component of operations, hence, elaborate protection system is provided for such transformers against faults from outgoing feeders.

“These basic protection schemes are expected to fence the transformer from internal and external faults that usually occurs while in circuit.”

Furthermore, the AEDC said that for such a facility, there are four levels of protection, which are “protection at the feeder level, protection that exists on the 33KV incomer, protection which is in-built in the transformer and protection on the 132KV side of the 45MVA, 132/33KV side of the transformer.

While commending the fire service of the NNPC and the FCT for saving AEDC customers from the calamity of immense proportion, AEDC said it will continue to invest in its network in order to provide customers with world class services even as it recommends a complete overhaul of the protection architecture of the TCN facility at APO and elsewhere within AEDC’s franchise area.