The Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has ordered the immediate replacement of aged equipment as part of the recommendations to stop the incessant collapse of the national grid.
Adelabu assured that the replacement would be achieved in six months.
Adelabu also directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria and all other relevant agencies of the ministry to begin the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the inter-agency committee, set up to address the incessant grid collapses in the power sector.
The Minister’s marching order came as the TCN reported that the national grid experienced a disturbance at approximately 11:29 am, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, which was caused by a sudden rise in frequency from 50.33Hz to 51.44Hz.
The Special Adviser to the Minister on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji, in a statement, quoted the Minister as saying that all relevant agencies in the ministry must brace up for the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the committee, which was submitted on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
The recommendations of the committee are far-reaching and will proffer lasting solutions to the incessant power grid collapses that we have embarrassingly witnessed in the country in the immediate and long term”, Bolaji said.
On Wednesday, the investigative panel revealed that a poor maintenance culture and inadequate and aged equipment, among other challenges, are the underlying reasons for the incessant multiple collapses of the national power grid witnessed in recent months.
It also outlined recommendations to be achieved in one month, six months and one year.
The short-term (one month) recommendations include; a review of relaying philosophy and settings, particularly at critical nodes, capacity development for maintenance/System Operation staff, Testing existing equipment at the critical nodes to establish reliability, developing framework and adopting reliability-centred maintenance and Identifying critical ongoing projects for speedy completion (low-hanging fruits).
The recommended objectives to be achieved in six months include strengthening relay coordination, replacement of aged and obsolete equipment, enhancing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and telecommunication tools, developing a framework to attract private investment across the value chain, deploying IoT devices on generating units and transmission lines, and secure firm gas contracts.
