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Govt orders overhaul amid TCN breakdown fears

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By Samuel Abimbola

This action aims to address ongoing failures impacting the power network.

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to resolve the nation’s constant power issues by ordering the immediate upgrade of outdated equipment. This action aims to mitigate the ongoing failures affecting the national power network. Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu revealed this order and established an ambitious six-month target for replacing old equipment at vital grid locations. The mandate, part of a larger strategic system developed by an interagency committee, comes from a recent grid failure reported by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). This marks the grid’s eleventh collapse this year.

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Furthermore, the most recent disruption, which occurred at 11:29 a.m. on Thursday, was initiated by a sudden frequency increase from 50.33 Hz to 51.44 Hz, as reported by the TCN. A statement issued by Bolaji Tunji, the Special Adviser to the Minister on Strategic Communications and Media, emphasised that all relevant departments within the ministry must promptly implement the suggestions made by the committee, which were presented on Wednesday. The committee’s findings pointed to a lack of proper maintenance practices and outdated, insufficient equipment as primary factors contributing to the grid’s ongoing failures, leading the Ministry to pursue short-term and long-term solutions.

Electricity committee details timeline for resolving ongoing power issues.

Also, the committee’s action plan includes three timelines: short-term (one month), medium-term (six months), and long-term (one year). During the coming month, authorities will concentrate on essential initiatives, including revising relay setups at important junctions, performing reliability assessments on current equipment, and enhancing maintenance personnel training. Additional initiatives include implementing a reliability maintenance approach and accelerating the completion of top-priority ongoing projects. By the months, attention will turn to more rigorous actions, including improving relay coordination, updating old parts, and upgrading Telecommunication and monitoring systems. Also, there is an intention to implement IoT devices to monitor generation units and transmission cables better.

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Likewise, the Ministry aims to secure firm gas contracts for consistent power generation. Further measures target energy theft and vandalism prevention, reducing technical and commercial losses, and improving human capacity. Additionally, harmonic filters will be installed for better equipment compatibility, TCN’s central store will be decentralised, and mandatory adherence to the Free Governor Mode of Operation will be enforced. The committee’s goals for the upcoming year focus on enhancing distribution systems, advancing decentralised grid management, and executing comprehensive upgrades in SCADA and telecommunications to establish a more intelligent grid.

Ongoing grid failures are likely to continue until repairs are complete.

Meanwhile, the Ministry aims to modernise the grid by incorporating Renewable Energy and intensive human resource development to strengthen its resiliency against disruptions. The TCN has cautioned that ongoing outages are expected to persist until necessary Infrastructure repairs are finalised. Ndidi Mbah, the TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, noted that current maintenance efforts are aimed at essential transmission lines and substations, such as the Shiroro–Mando 330kV line, enhancements at the Jebba Transmission Substation, and recovery work on the Ugwuaji–Apir 330kV line. Nonetheless, these attempts might strain other components within the system, leading to occasional instability.

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However, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) expressed concerns that the rejection of load by Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) further aggravates the failures. Although the TCN has an installed capacity exceeding 8,100MW and can handle about 6,000MW, the DisCos’ distribution capability is constrained to nearly 4,000MW because of weak infrastructure. The NOA reported that DisCos turned down roughly 1,400MW from the 5,313MW produced in early September, adding to the network’s instability. This gap is linked to the difficulties faced by DisCos in recovering costs, which obstructs funding for vital improvements needed to enhance their distribution capabilities.

Related Article: TCN updates on nationwide power restoration

Lastly, the administration of President Bola Tinubu has launched the Presidential Metering Initiative, which aims to eradicate estimated billing. It has pledged $800 million to establish new substations and distribution networks to tackle these issues. Half of this funding will be directed toward Benin, Port Harcourt, and Enugu DisCos, while the remaining portion will support Abuja, Kaduna, Jos, and Kano DisCos. The government is implementing a decentralisation project for the national grid, which it expects will enhance the efficiency of transmission and distribution operations and promote off-grid energy alternatives.

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