Following previous system failures that caused blackouts throughout the nation, stakeholders and operators put pressure on the Transmission Company of Nigeria, or TCN, on Thursday to increase the National Power Grid’s dependability.

The national grid and power transmission networks throughout Nigeria are managed by TCN, which was founded in 2006 as one of the successor corporations to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.

Speaking at a public hearing held in Abuja by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, or NERC, the operators attributed the regular grid breakdowns on the TCN’s lack of scheduled maintenance and outdated transmission lines.

In addition to affecting the quality of supply to consumers, the frequent national grid failures are also affecting the viability of power production (GenCos) and distribution businesses (DisCos), according to NERC Chairman Engr. Sanusi Garba.

The situation can no longer go on, Engineer Garba stated, emphasising that quick action would be done to stabilise and improve the grid’s dependability.

In actuality, the state of the national grid is having an effect on the profitability of both the distribution businesses and the GenCos that provide the capacity and energy. Most significantly, though, it is also having an effect on the calibre of consumers and supplies.

“We come across articles regarding Nigerian manufacturing everywhere. If you can’t provide the real sector with the proper quality of supply, then we’ll be dealing with a market that solely depends on residential clients. Additionally, even residential customers don’t think the industry is performing well enough.

Indeed, recently, there have been improvements in generation stability as a result of certain policy and regulatory measures. However, we cannot ignore the extent to which this type of national grid instability affects the whole country,” he said.

Dr. Joy Ogaji, the CEO of the Association of Power Generation Companies, or APGC, also made the point that the nation lacked the infrastructure required to transport power properly and efficiently.

Ogaji revealed that the national grid had crashed 162 times since 2013, making it one of the world’s most unstable grid systems.

Because research indicates that 100 steel mills run on our grid, she said that using “spinning reserve and the free governor mode can cure the volatility on the grid.” We are aware of the frequency of steel mills. According to a research we conducted, the grid has not conformed with the 50Hz grid regulation 95% of the time since 2013.

She noted that “the GenCos are losing money, DisCos are losing money, industries, businesses, and factories are also losing money” whenever the grid fails.

For efficiency, she demanded that TCN be unbundled with the ring fencing of the Transmission Services Provider (TSP), Market Operator, and System Operator.

Despite accounting for over 65% of the sub-region’s energy consumption, Nigeria’s power system continues to be the worst in West Africa, according to power industry expert Engr. John Ayodele’s involvement.

He noted that the only grid that does not have a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is the national grid.

The system is weak, and a large portion of the infrastructure we use today is only considered to be 250kV at best due to the 330/350kV conductors. Some of them will shatter into pieces if you simply bend them. The system is almost nonexistent in terms of protection.

When asked how much money TCN had available to enhance its system, Market Operator Ali Ahmad said that N26 billion had been saved in the Power Improvement Plan Fund, N30 billion in the Ancillary Service Fund, and an extra $2.36 million had been saved from energy sales abroad.

In support of TCN, Engr. Nafisatu Asabe Ali, Executive Director, Independent System Operator, acknowledged that equipment “does fail from time to time.”

She revealed that the “faults point towards Oshogbo” based on ISO’s examination of the latest failures. After inspecting the relay, we discovered that Oshogbo TS (Transmission Station) was the source of the issue. 675 MW of total load was removed, which led to instability and ultimately the loss of a portion of the system. The grid’s integrity was jeopardised when Ibom was islanded.