Incessant grid collapses: FG orders immediate solution
Amid incessant national grid collapses which serially throw the nation into darkness, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has ordered immediate replacement of obsolete equipment as part of the recommendations to address the problem.
According to the statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji, the minister assured that the replacement would be achieved in six months.
He urged all relevant agencies in the ministry to brace up for the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the committee
of the inter-agency committee set up to address the incessant grid collapses in the power sector which was submitted on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
Adelabu also directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to begin immediate implementation of the recommendations.
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 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.
Recall that on Wednesday, the investigative panel disclosed that a poor maintenance culture, inadequate and obsolete equipment are responsible for the incessant 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.
TCN is however, worried about chances of further collapses as it has indicated that the latest collapse, which occurred twice within 72 hours, may not be the last, following the ongoing repair of critical infrastructure to enhance the overall stability and resilience of the grid according to a statement by the General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.
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