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As part of its efforts to implement the Electricity Act 2023, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, announced ongoing talks to transfer the management of the national grid to an Independent System Operator. This transition is seen as a crucial step toward instilling better discipline in grid operations, with the ultimate goal of improving the nation’s power distribution system.
An explosion at the Jebba transmission station was identified as the cause of the most recent national grid collapse, which occurred early Saturday, NERC confirmed, shedding light on the source of the widespread power outage.
The commission confirmed that supply restoration was well underway, with 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory reconnected to the grid by 1 p.m. on Saturday, reflecting considerable strides in recovering from the outage.
The third collapse of the national grid within a week occurred on Saturday morning, leading to another extensive power outage that impacted residents across the nation.
It’s important to note that the grid had tripped on two occasions earlier this week, first on Monday and again on Tuesday as restoration was being carried out.
The NERC recognized the recent surge in grid disruptions that have caused major outages in a statement posted on its official X handle, highlighting the growing concern over the reliability of electricity supply.
The statement read, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission notes with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outages in several states, thus reversing many of the gains recently achieved in reducing infrastructure deficit and improving grid stability.
Read also: FG Gives Reasons For Third National Grid Collapse In 7 Days
“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 08:15 hours and an associated cascade of power plants shut down arising from the loss of load.
“However, efforts to restore supply have advanced with power significantly restored, as at 13:00 hours, in 33 states and the FCT.”
It further noted that an investigative public hearing to identify immediate and remote causes of recurring incidences of grid disturbances and widespread outages will be conducted very soon.
“In line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, the unbundling of the System Operator function out of Transmission Company of Nigeria Plc is ongoing with the expectation that an Independent System Operator would engender more discipline in grid management and optimised investment in infrastructure.
“In pursuit of finding a permanent resolution to the challenges of the national grid, the Commission shall shortly conduct an investigative public hearing to identify immediate and remote causes of recurring incidences of grid disturbances and widespread outages.
“The date and venue of the public hearing will shortly be announced in the national dailies and stakeholders are encouraged to participate,” it added.
