The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has officially handed over a control room building extension to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).

The control room building contains the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)/emergency management system (EMS) at the Gwagwalada 330 kilovolts (KV) transmission substation.

Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that the facility would serve as a temporary national control centre.

Speaking at the event, the managing director of the TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, described the occasion as a defining moment for the company and a significant milestone in the collective effort to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

He was represented by the general manager of project coordination at the TCN, Amini Tahir.

Mr Abdulaziz said the completion of the facility marked not just the end of a construction project but the beginning of a new phase in grid management and national power coordination.

He said the building was designed as temporary accommodation for the newly acquired SCADA-EMS and telecommunications systems, along with a dedicated team of operational staff.

“It will now serve as a temporary operational base for NISO, enabling the organisation to oversee grid operations more efficiently and reliably until the permanent NCC becomes operational.

“With this handover, NISO will assume full responsibility for operating and maintaining the facility,” he said.

Mr Abdulaziz said the TCN decided to hand over the facility to NISO because “it is a key to better grid management, improved system reliability, and better service delivery for Nigerians.

“Together, we are laying the groundwork for a stronger and more resilient grid,” he said.

Mr Abdulaziz also expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its sustained support throughout the project.

He reaffirmed TCN’s commitment to collaboration, innovation, and service excellence as the facility commences operations under NISO, ahead of the eventual commissioning of the permanent national control centre in Gwagwalada.

The managing director of NISO, Abdu Bello, represented by the general manager of system planning, Kabir Adamu, thanked the TCN management for delivering the project and described the handover as more than an infrastructure transfer.

According to him, the project is a critical step toward improving the operational capacity of the nation’s electricity grid.

“We all recognise the importance of SCADA-EMS for grid operations.

“This control room provides NISO with the environment needed to commence the operationalisation of the SCADA/EMS project at this stage of its deployment,” he said.

He assured that NISO would manage the facility responsibly to support efficient grid operations and pledged the organisation’s continued collaboration to advance the nation’s power sector.

The TCN’s project manager, Samuel Fakinlade, stated that on completion of the permanent NCC building, the equipment and staff currently housed at the facility would be relocated, and the building returned to the TCN.

According to Mr Fakinlade, the facility houses the newly installed SCADA-EMS and telecommunications system designed to support real-time grid management and system operations.

He said it would also serve as an interim control centre to strengthen grid management until the permanent NCC building is completed.

(NAN)