The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) convened a public hearing on Thursday, October 24, to engage stakeholders in discussions aimed at recommending solutions to ongoing disturbances in the power system.
This initiative comes in light of recent widespread outages affecting various parts of the country.
During the hearing, NERC Chairman Sanusi Garba emphasized the importance of addressing these issues, stating, “NERC considers what has been happening as significant public interest and provided a platform to discuss ways to tackle them.”
He acknowledged the multiple system disturbances that have plagued the national grid, affecting both generation and distribution companies while ultimately impacting the quality of electricity supply to manufacturers and residential customers.
“Our intention today is to take a deep dive to find a solution to this,” Garba added, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
He pointed out that the ongoing challenges in the national grid have had a ripple effect across the electricity supply chain.
Engr. Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of System Operation at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), reported on two recent incidents that caused significant outages due to equipment failure.
“Challenges in the value chain must be holistically addressed to resolve the disturbances,” she stated.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders is a must for a largely manually operated grid,” she emphasized as part of the proposed strategies to improve the situation.
Representatives from generation companies, distribution companies, and private sector intervenors also contributed to the discussions, highlighting the need for concerted efforts to tackle obsolete equipment and transition towards a smart grid.
Additionally, they pointed out the attitudinal issues that are currently hindering optimal grid operation.
The hearing served as a critical platform for collaboration among industry stakeholders, with the collective aim of enhancing the stability and reliability of Nigeria’s electricity supply.
As the discussions unfold, NERC remains committed to finding actionable solutions to ensure a more resilient power system for the country.