The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is considering making power distribution companies responsible for the costs associated with repairing faulty transformers and replacing transmission infrastructure.
It stated that this initiative aims to promote better management and accountability within the Discos, according to The Punch.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Joy Ogaji stated that Nigeria has experienced 162 instances of grid collapse since 2013, underscoring the urgent need for improved infrastructure and operational practices in the electricity sector.
The Chairman of NERC, Sanusi Garba, and Ogaji spoke at a public hearing organized by the power sector regulator on Thursday, aimed at investigating the causes of the frequent collapses of the national grid.
The NERC chairman emphasized that the frequent collapses of the national grid are negatively affecting not only the quality of supply to customers but also the viability of power generation and distribution companies.
Garba stated that the current situation is untenable and stressed the need for immediate action to stabilize and enhance the reliability of the grid.
“The reality is that what is truly happening with the national grid is impacting on the viability of not only the Gencos that generate the energy and capacity but also the distribution companies. But most importantly, it’s also impacting the quality of supplies and customers.
“Just one piece of equipment had an issue and the whole country is in a blackout. What is your understanding of why it caught fire? We do not spend millions of dollars buying equipment only for you not to have sufficient protection for such equipment to catch fire. We have had recent instances of huge transformers catching fire as if it is just a bale of cotton, so what measures do we have to make sure this does not happen again? You have a prescription but no solution.
“We read all over the place about manufacturing in Nigeria. I mean, if you cannot deliver the right quality of supply to the real sector, then we’re going to be working on a market that is simply relying on residential customers. And even residential customers don’t consider the performance of the sector good enough.”
He also highlighted that Discos had been instructed to identify the feeders most vulnerable to weather-related issues by a set deadline, but they failed to take any action.
“This thing that happened last year, last two years, last three years, the last four years happened this year. It is as if we don’t want to move forward intentionally,” he stated.
In her address, Ogaji stated that the commission must take a proactive approach to tackle the issues leading to the grid collapses.
“The topic for this course, this morning, is not new at all. From the association data taken from 2013 to date, the grid has collapsed 162 times,” she said.
Ogaji noted that the data being collected by the private sector differs from what is officially reported.
According to her, there is a need for transparency in the sector and proper capturing of data by the commission.
“Before the grid code specified or the switch is up to like four. But we have done an investigation and found out that sometimes the cripple is well over four, even up to ten, that is eating into somebody’s generation that would have fetched them money,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria announced that it has received a security advisory from the Office of the National Security Adviser, urging it to limit operations in areas affected by the vandalism of the Shiroro-Mando Transmission line.
The company indicated that power restoration in the region will not occur anytime soon due to ongoing insecurity.
