The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has convened a public hearing to address pressing issues within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) following a series of widespread power outages attributed to grid instability.
The hearing was prompted by significant disturbances to the national grid, including total blackouts in the Northern region on October 21, as well as incidents affecting power supply on October 14 and 19.
Stakeholders from across NESI and various civil society organisations gathered in Abuja to present their insights and concerns regarding the ongoing challenges.
Many participants pointed to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as a key contributor to the recurring issues, citing poor operational practices and insufficient funding.
NERC officials highlighted that the hearing is intended to capture short- and medium-term solutions, with NERC’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, emphasising the Commission’s commitment to addressing the root causes of grid disruptions.
“Today, we are also very much passionate about identifying short term and medium-term action that we need to take following the hearing and also the submission that we will be receiving.
“We’ll look at the PIP again and make sure that some of the urgent things that we need to do today to mitigate the risk of this story of system collapse, a national embarrassment is the story of the past,” Garba said.
He noted that ineffective operations by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and inadequate funding have significantly contributed to the instability, which has been a frequent topic at the hearing.
Garba stressed that enforcing grid codes is a priority for NERC, which aims to strengthen the system operator’s role in maintaining compliance.
He added that the Commission has allocated significant resources for grid improvements, including 30 billion naira designated for the procurement of a spinning reserve to stabilize power generation.
He noted that if stability on the grid could be achieved through this allocation, they would ensure those resources were used for their intended purpose.
Also Read: NERC Dissolves Kaduna State Electricity Company Over Debts
The public hearing also included insights from the Executive Director of TCN’s Independent System Operator Mrs. Nafisat Ali. Mrs Ali pointed to maintenance gaps and an ingrained “use until failure” culture as underlying issues in Nigeria’s power sector.
She noted that TCN requires over 3.2 billion naira monthly for spinning reserves and other grid maintenance, adding that inconsistent coordination among power generation, transmission, and distribution sectors further hinders grid stability.
TCN’s struggles with limited equipment, outdated transformers, and inadequate SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and communication systems were highlighted as significant barriers.
Mrs Ali referenced specific challenges during the October 14 incident, where a lack of compensating devices delayed restoration efforts. Frequent circuit operation, she explained, adds stress and accelerates equipment wear.
The CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr. Joy Ogaji, shared data indicating 162 recorded instances of grid instability since 2013.
She emphasised that relying solely on a free governor mode of operation is insufficient to address frequency fluctuations, which often disrupt power generation, particularly for sectors like steel milling that contribute to grid volatility.
NERC Chairman closed the hearing by reaffirming the commission’s intent to work with stakeholders, particularly TCN, to implement prioritized upgrades and avoid future grid collapses.
With the national grid having failed multiple times this year, Garba said the goal remains achieving stability as the government works toward increasing Nigeria’s power generation capacity to 6,000 megawatts by year-end.
Comments are closed.