NERC to investigate frequent national grid collapses, announces public hearing

October 20, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced plans to hold a public hearing to probe the immediate and remote causes of the recurring cases of national grid collapses and outages.

In a statement released on Saturday, NERC stated that the date and venue of the public hearing would be announced shortly in national dailies, and stakeholders are encouraged to participate.

The statement read in part: “The commission notes with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outage in several states thus reversing many of the gains recently achieved in reducing infrastructure deficit and improving grid stability

“Initial reports on the grid disturbance that occurred this morning indicate that today’s outage was triggered by an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 8: 15 a.m., and associated cascade of power plants shutdown arising from the loss of load.

“However, efforts to restore supply have advanced with power significantly restored, as at 1 p.m., in 33 states and the FCT.

“In line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator function, ISO, out of Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing with the expectation that an independent SO would engender more discipline in grid management and optimised investment in infrastructure.”

The commission seeks to identify the root causes of these collapses and develop effective solutions to stabilize the national grid.

NERC’s investigation is expected to examine various factors contributing to the grid failures, including aging infrastructure, underinvestment, insufficient power generation, transmission losses, and poor maintenance.

The public hearing will provide an opportunity for stakeholders, including electricity consumers, generators, and distribution companies, to share their experiences and suggestions on how to improve the reliability of the national grid.