The Nigerian Government has identified a poor maintenance culture and outdated equipment as key factors contributing to the frequent collapses of the country’s national power grid, which has suffered multiple failures in recent months.
During the presentation of a report on Wednesday at the Ministry of Power headquarters in Abuja, the Chairperson of the investigative committee, Nafisatu Asabe Ali, explained that inadequate infrastructure and high voltage exceeding the capacity of equipment were responsible for the latest grid failures, including the blackouts of October 14 and 19, 2024.
Ali explained that the committee’s probe found widespread issues affecting various stations across the country, such as damaged lightning arrestors at the Jebba and Osogbo transmission stations, as well as an explosion at Jebba.
She noted that the incidents led to widespread power outages, with the most recent collapse on October 29 marking the 10th of the year.
The report pointed to high voltage surges as the primary cause of the damage, particularly noting that Jebba station’s shunt reactor was unable to operate due to the absence of a backup reactor, which further exacerbated the situation.
“We had two shunt reactors in Jebba before this incident, but one failed. The faulty reactor caused the voltage to rise to about 400KV, surpassing the threshold. High voltage damages equipment insulation.
“Exposing equipment to high voltages for extended periods causes insulation degradation, leading to potential failure. That was a contributing factor, but the main issue is aged equipment. Our investigation revealed that Jebba was commissioned in 1968, with some equipment installed alongside the substation. Aging infrastructure and poor maintenance culture are major concerns,” Ali stated.
The committee highlighted several challenges, including vandalism of power infrastructure, lack of spare governors at power plants, disorganized maintenance schedules, and insufficient human resources.
In response, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced plans to seek additional funding through the 2024 Supplementary Budget and the 2025 Appropriation Bill to address the financial challenges associated with strategies to prevent ongoing grid collapses.
He expressed hope that comprehensive reforms would reduce the frequent failures of the Nigerian power grid, stating, “This persistent grid collapse, which is both unfortunate and concerning to me as the Minister of Power, overseeing this sector, must be addressed.”
Adelabu also revealed plans to submit an updated report to President Tinubu to reflect the financial needs for tackling the crisis.
“This meeting today is to present the findings of the committee set up two and a half weeks ago to uncover the root causes of the frequent grid disruptions we’ve seen in recent months. This situation is detrimental to our country, our power sector, and the Ministry of Power, among other agencies.”
The committee also made recommendations, including conducting audits and tests on existing equipment, improving maintenance of transmission lines and equipment, installing harmonics filters for Disco and Genco customers, decentralizing TCN’s central store, enforcing the Free Governor Mode of Operation, and eliminating ad-hoc taped optic fiber used for Optical Ground Wires.