Schneider Electric has partnered with Ikeja Electric (IE) to improve electricity distribution in its network in Lagos and Ogun State.
The collaboration according to both companies would address common problems faced by electricity distribution companies in the country, namely the lack of traceability when faults occur on the network, leading to extended period of outages.
Schneider noted that the partnership is the first step towards setting up a digitized grid, starting with smart transformers.
Speaking on the partnership in Lagos, Ikeja Electric, Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Folake Soetan, said: “This partnership exemplifies Ikeja Electric’s desire to leverage innovation and technology to improve customer experience, so it is driven largely with interest of customers at the heart of our business.
“We are delighted to partner with Schneider Electric on this project as it becomes imperative that we adopt a more strategic approach in managing our network.
“The introduction of smart Distribution Transformers will not only assist in drastically reducing downtime, but it will also further drive efficiency as we are able to better manage and maintain our network proactively. The digitization is in line with our mantra, Customer First, Technology Now.”
Also, Mojola Ola, Director, Marketing, Business Development & Access to Energy – Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric, stated “Our collaboration with Ikeja Electric reflects a true commitment from both parties to drive the digital transformation of the grid, which would result in greater efficiency and access to energy for the population.”
He then added that with a proactive maintenance approach in place on the transformers, the frequency of downtime will drastically reduce “Instead of having reactive maintenance after a technical interruption, we offer a more proactive approach on the equipment as they can be set to trigger alerts for any issue on the network requiring attention, before downtime occurs.
“Even when faults do occur, because the network is smarter and connected to the cloud, they would have a quicker resolution time.”
Highlighting some of the company’s unique abilities to manage projects sustainably, Ola added that, “We are very much on the ground. One of the things that we do strongly in West Africa is to have a solid knowledge transfer culture. We put in a lot of effort and resources into human capacity development to ensure the project is sustainable.
“We are one of the few original equipment manufacturers that have a local services team to perform regular maintenance and we leverage our coverage across the country to respond swiftly to any fall out as they arise.
“The joint effort by Schneider and Ikeja Electric is a significant project. While the energy situation remains a grueling challenge in the country, partnerships such as this present an opportunity to improve electricity access and reliability of the grid supply across the country.”
