•We’ll add 150 megawatts to grid by year-end –Minister
By Adewale Sanyaolu and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria was again plunged into darkness yesterday as the national electricity grid collapsed for the 12th time this year.
A check on the website of the Independent System Operator (ISO), an arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), showed all the generation power plants on the grid did not produce electricity by 2 pm, having all contributed an average of 3,087 megawatts of electricity by 1 pm.
The Jos Electricity Distribution Company (Jos Disco), in a notice to its customers, confirmed the collapse, saying: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred this afternoon at about 1333 hours of today, Wednesday, 11th December 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders. We hope to restore normal power supply to our esteemed customers as soon as the grid supply is restored back to normalcy.
A similar message was received in Lagos. Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, had recently said grid collapse was inevitable due to aging power infrastructure, vandalism of power assets, among others.
Adelabu stated that power grids in different regions or states are needed to prevent incessant grid collapses, noting that having multiple power grids in each region and state would bring about stability.
“This Electricity Act has decentralized power. It has enabled all the subnational governments, the state government, and the local government, to be able to participate in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. We all rely on a single national grid today; if there is a disturbance of the national grid, it affects all 36 states. It shouldn’t be like that. This will enable us to start moving gradually towards having regional groups and possibly having state grids. And each of these grids will be removed and shielded from each other. So, if there’s a problem with a particular grid, only the state where it belongs will be affected, not the entire nation. So, this is one of the impacts this Electricity Act will have,” Adelabu said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has disclosed that the country is on track to add an additional 150 megawatts of electricity to the national grid before the end of the year, following the successful completion of the pilot phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).
He made the disclosure to State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu and President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday.
Giving insights into what transpired at the meeting, Adelabu explained that the initiative, which is being implemented in collaboration with Siemens, aims to enhance Nigeria’s electricity supply through a series of strategic projects.
“We believe that before the end of the year, an additional 150 megawatts will be added upon completion of the entire pilot phase.”
Minister of Power outlined significant advancements in the country’s energy sector, emphasizing the crucial role of international collaboration, particularly with Germany.
“We have a bilateral relationship with the Republic of Germany that focuses on energy and electricity support,” the minister stated. “The name of the game now is about cooperation, collaboration, and partnership.” He highlighted the Siemens project as a flagship component of this relationship, aimed at implementing both Brownfield and Greenfield transmission substations under the PPI.
He noted that since signing the agreement in December 2023 during COP 28 in Dubai, Nigeria has made substantial progress. “We have completed the pilot phase of this project up to 80%,” he noted. This phase includes the importation and installation of 10 power transformers and 10 mobile substations, with eight already commissioned.
“The positive impact of this is that it has added nothing less than 750 megawatts to our transmission grid capacity,” he explained, attributing the current stability in electricity supply to this achievement.
He said the next phase will involve rehabilitating 14 existing substations and establishing 23 new ones across Nigeria.
“The entire grid is quite fragile and dilapidated,” he lamented. “We need to revamp it to ensure stability going forward.” He reiterated that these efforts are essential for transforming Nigeria’s energy landscape, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In addition to addressing immediate power needs, Adelabu emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to renewable energy as part of its long-term strategy. “We have an energy transition plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060,” he said.
He pointed out that Germany’s expertise in renewable technologies aligns perfectly with Nigeria’s abundant natural resources. “Germany has technology; we have the sun and wind,” he added, highlighting that over 30 states in Nigeria enjoy a minimum of 10 hours of sunshine daily.
The minister also discussed plans for off-grid solutions, advocating for a distributed power model where each state would have its own generating plants. “This model will shield states from problems on the national grid and ensure rural electrification,” he explained.
Germany’s involvement extends beyond traditional energy sources; it includes significant investments in green energy projects.
The Minister of Power reaffirmed his commitment to advancing policies that enhance energy access and sustainability across the nation. “Together with our partners, we can build a robust energy infrastructure that supports economic growth and improves quality of life for all Nigerians,” he declared.
The German Consul General in Lagos, Weert Borner, recently announced that Germany has added 670 megawatts to Nigeria’s grid capacity in 2024 alone through their ongoing partnership. “This partnership is vital for improving electricity access for final consumers,” Borner remarked during an interview.
Additionally, Nigeria is set to benefit from Germany’s ambitious €4 billion investment in green energy projects across Africa by 2030.