Power Minister Sets Up Committee To Address Grid Collapses

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has established a forensic investigative committee to address the recurring national grid failures.

A statement from the minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, revealed that Adelabu was deeply concerned about the recent grid disturbances that caused widespread power outages across parts of the country twice in one week.

To address the issue, he summoned an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over the weekend.

Adelabu expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, noting that the grid collapses threatened to undermine the progress made in the power sector over the past year, which had seen the generation and distribution of 5,527 megawatts — a record high in three years.

In response, the minister formed a forensic investigation committee tasked with identifying the root causes of the incidents and advising the government on measures to strengthen the national grid.

The committee’s scope includes assessing ongoing initiatives like the Presidential Power Initiative and the Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project, as well as examining potential sabotage.

The statement added that the committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the grid’s stability, identifying the necessary investments and technical improvements required to make the system smarter and more resilient.

Additionally, a technical team has been deployed to evaluate critical points in the grid to detect vulnerabilities and recommend solutions to prevent future disruptions.

Adelabu explained that a partial collapse occurred on Monday, October 14, due to a line tripping at the Jebba Transmission Substation and a recurring fault at the Osogbo Substation.

While efforts to restore the grid initially encountered setbacks, the system was fully restored by Wednesday, October 16.

The minister clarified that the issues on Tuesday were not new collapses, but part of ongoing restoration efforts from Monday.

On Saturday, October 19, what was reported as another collapse was actually a deliberate shutdown of the grid following a transformer explosion at the Jebba Substation.

This disruption was resolved within two hours. Adelabu emphasized that the events were grid disturbances rather than full collapses.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the Jebba transformer explosion was caused by aging equipment unrelated to the earlier grid failure.

The six-member investigation team includes key officials: Engr Nafisat Ali, Executive Director of the Independent System Operator; Dr. Chidi Ike, NERC Commissioner; Engr Ishola, General Manager of the National Control Centre; Engr Emmanuel Nosike, Director of Transmission at the Federal Ministry of Power; Engr Ali Sharifai, General Manager of the Transmission Service Provider; and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, the minister’s Chief Technical Adviser.

The committee is expected to submit its findings to the minister by November 1, 2024.