The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has called on the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), along with distribution and generation companies, to develop effective solutions to prevent future national grid collapses. This appeal was made during a public hearing in Abuja, following a series of significant outages that plunged northern Nigeria into darkness on October 14, 19, and 21.
NERC Chairman Eng. Sanusi Garba highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “Today, we intend to take a deep dive to find a solution to this.” He pointed out the severe consequences these disruptions have on electricity production and distribution, impacting both industrial operations and residential consumers.
TCN has cited equipment failures as a primary cause of the outages and recognized the difficulties associated with manual grid operations. Nafisat Ali, the executive director of TCN’s independent system operator, emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive approach to tackle the ongoing challenges within the power sector.
Garba criticized TCN for lacking a maintenance culture and called for immediate enhancements in service quality. He underscored the importance of implementing measures to reduce risks, such as transformer fires, and urged TCN and other stakeholders to formulate effective long-term strategies to ensure the national grid’s reliability.
The public hearing included presentations from various stakeholders, including representatives from generation and distribution companies, as well as private sector experts, all aimed at collaboratively addressing the issues plaguing Nigeria’s power sector.
As NERC continues to confront these persistent challenges, its commitment to improving the reliability and quality of electricity supply remains crucial for the nation’s economic development and stability.
