Nigeria’s transition to sustainable energy

Nigeria

Jude Abalaka, managing director of Tranos, talks to The Energy Year about the company’s expansion strategy, its value proposition and the role it plays in the transition to sustainable energy. Tranos is active in the oil and gas, power, telecommunications, manufacturing and building/civil construction sectors.

What are Tranos’ main activities and services?
Our main activities include manufacturing and supplying power protection and distribution equipment and accessories, gas generators, cable trays and ladders, as well as various types of enclosures. We have our factories up and running, and some of our recent clients include Dangote Industries, where we produced electrical panels and also did the installation and commissioning of the whole electrical system.
Another project we are involved in is the NLNG Train 7 project, where we are manufacturing cable trays and ladders, gaskets, electrical panels and also providing lighting fixtures and accessories.
A strength of ours is being able to combine our engineering and fabrication experience, which gives us the ability to design modular packages. Our packages give our customers the advantage of avoiding building onsite. We manufacture containerised power plants and e-houses, and all the customer does is plug and play.

What is your expansion strategy?
We plan to grow our market share by focusing on the things that are important to the customer. Those things include quality, on-time delivery and being attentive to the customers’ requirements. Whether it is revamping existing facilities or greenfield developments, we have the range of products and services that will make us valuable partners.
One aspect we have put much emphasis on is ensuring that all of our products are tested and certified. We have our cable tray system tested and certified by Bureau Veritas. For our gaskets, we’ve tested them according to both the Shell MESC standard and the ASME standard. For our meter enclosures, we test their IP rating to make sure they meet the IEC standard. This gives us an edge, as our products meet international standards.

What is your value proposition?
In our segment of the market, customers place a lot of value on the quality of the products, on-time delivery and the capability to recommend the appropriate solutions which suit their needs. As mentioned earlier, we meet recognised quality standards. We work hard to always meet deadlines and have many experienced in-house engineers who can advise our customers.
We are always on the lookout to integrate the latest technology possible.

How do you explain the rise of competitiveness in the Nigerian energy manufacturing sector?
An increase in investments in the market and a currently stagnating demand have led firms to focus more on competitiveness. In various cases, manufacturers not only have to compete with local players but also with imported goods, and so they must further perfect their services.
Throughout the years, the Nigerian government has also made various efforts to support the growth and development of certain industries. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has played an important role in creating advantageous programmes and driving growth by funding our sector.

How does Tranos participate in the transition towards more sustainable energy?
The current status quo of power generation where diesel generators are used is clearly not sustainable. The millions of litres of diesel consumed by various sectors, including telecoms, has a huge impact on the environment. With the government paving the way towards an effective energy transition, we are confident that our LPG generators are a strong alternative and will help reduce our carbon footprint significantly.

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