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The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced plans to hold a public hearing to investigate the immediate and underlying causes of the frequent grid collapses and power outages.
The hearing aims to address the technical and operational issues that have plagued the nation’s electricity supply, causing widespread blackouts and disruptions to businesses and households.
NERC made this known through a statement issued on Saturday, highlighting the urgency of resolving the ongoing power grid challenges. The commission reiterated its commitment to improving the nation’s electricity infrastructure and vowed to take decisive action following the findings of the public hearing.
NERC further stated that the date and venue of the public hearing “would shortly be announced in the national dailies,” urging stakeholders to actively participate in the discussions. The commission emphasized that input from various sectors is crucial to developing effective strategies for tackling the ongoing grid issues.
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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.”
