Discotheques can cover power transmission repair costs – NERC

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has said that power distribution companies may begin bearing the cost of equipment used to repair broken transformers and replace other transmission infrastructure.

If implemented, the measure will ensure that discos will be more careful and careful in managing electricity infrastructure.

This came as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Joy Ogaji, said Nigeria has recorded 162 cases of grid collapse since 2013 to date.

NERC Chairman Sanusi Garba and Ogaji spoke at a public hearing on incessant grid failures organized by the power sector regulator on Thursday to examine the reasons behind the multiple collapses of the national grid.

The NERC chairman noted that the frequent collapse of the national electricity grid not only impacts the quality of supply to customers, but also impacts the profitability of electricity generation and distribution companies.

Garba said the situation could not continue and stressed that immediate measures would be taken to stabilize the grid and make it more reliable.

“The reality is that what really happens to the national grid impacts not only the viability of the gencos that generate the energy and capacity, but also the distribution companies. Above all, it also affects the quality of deliveries and customers.

“Only one device had a problem and the entire country is in blackout. How do you understand why it caught fire? We don't spend millions of dollars purchasing equipment only to have inadequate protection to keep that equipment from catching fire. Recently there have been cases of huge transformers catching fire as if it were just a bale of cotton. So what measures do we need to take to ensure something like this doesn't happen again? You have a recipe, but no solution.

“We read about manufacturing in Nigeria everywhere. I mean, if you can't deliver the right quality of care to the real sector, then we're going to be working in a market that's just reliant on residential customers. And even private customers don’t think the industry’s development is good enough.”

He also highlighted that Discos had been asked to give notice of the feeders most vulnerable to weather problems, but nothing had been done about it.

“What happened last year, the last two years, the last three years, the last four years happened this year. It's like we don't want to move forward intentionally,” he explained.

For her part, Ogaji said the commission must proactively address the issues that caused the collapse.

“The topic of this class this morning is not new at all. According to association data from 2013 to date, the network has collapsed 162 times,” she said.

Ogaji also said the data collected by the private sector is different from that reported.

According to the APGC CEO, there is a need for transparency in the industry and proper data collection by the Commission.

“Before the net code is specified or the switch is up to four. But we did an investigation and found that sometimes the cripple is well over four, even up to 10 years old, which means someone is eating the generation that would have brought him money,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said it has received a security alert from the Office of the National Security Adviser to restrict its activities in the area affected by the destruction of the Shiroro-Mando transmission.

The company said that the electricity shortage in the region could not be resolved quickly due to the uncertain situation

The PUNCH reports that the destruction of the Ugwuaji-Apir 330 kilovolt (kV) dual power line has resulted in a power outage lasting more than four days in some northern states.