Grid Collapses: NERC Seeks Solution For Sustainable Grid Operation, Convenes Investigative Public Hearing

…. As TCN Explains Saturday’s Grid Collapse

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has expressed deep concern on the protracted current national grid collapses with the resolve to convene “investigative public hearing” towards finding sustainable solutions

This is in addition to the ongoing unbundling of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to give rise to Independent System Operator function (ISO) hoped  to engender more discipline in grid management and optimised investment in infrastructure.

OPTIMUM TIMES reports that this is in line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.

According to NERC statement on its X handle in respect of the frequent grid collapses, “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory 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.

“In pursuit of finding a permanent resolution to the challenges of the national grid, the Commission shall shortly conduct an investigative public hearing with a view to identifying immediate and remote causes of recurring incidence 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.”

Meanwhile, NERC and TCN has respectively explained the cause of the latest grid collapse on Saturday, attributing it to “an explosion of a current transformer at the Jebba transmission station at 0815hrs and associated cascade of power plants shutdown arising from the loss of load.”

Quoting the National Control Center (NCC), TCN General Manager Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, said in statement, “the bus section of a current transformer exploded at 330kV Jebba Transmission Substation and as  expected, the protection system was activated, and this promptly opened the busbars to curtail the explosion, thereby preventing outbreak of fire and further damage to adjacent equipment.

“Our engineers at Jebba have successfully carried out switchings, isolating the faulty current transformer. They have equally reconfigured the busbar arrangement, restoring power supply to the station, and other parts of the grid.”