FG sets up committee to probe frequent grid collapses

The federal government has set up a forensic investigative committee to address the incessant grid collapses.

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, constituted the committee after an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Tuesday.

In a statement by Bolaji Tunji, the minister’s media aide, Adelabu, during the meeting, expressed displeasure over the incident, saying it was “capable of rubbishing the giant strides made in the last one year which has led to an increased generation and distribution of 5,527 megawatts, a record generation in three years”.

He said the forensic investigation committee are mandated to advise the government on necessary solutions to make the national grid robust and reliable.

“The Committee is to also establish the root cause of both incidents especially a review of potential sabotage on the system,” Tunji said.

“The Committee will holistically review the national grid stability and identify investments and technical capacities required to make the grid smart and resilient.”

The minister also constituted a six-member technical committee to access the critical nodes on the national grid to identify potential vulnerabilities.

According to Tunji, the committee are to proffer recommendations to address the vulnerabilities to prevent future disruptions to the grid.

The six-member committee is headed by Nafisat Ali, executive director of the Independent System Operator (ISO).

Others are “Chidi Ike, commissioner, NERC, Engr. Ishola (GM. National Control Centre (NCC) , Engr. Emmanuel Nosike, Director, Transmission, Federal Ministry of Power (FMoP), Engr. Ali Sharifai (GM, Transmission Service Provider (TSP) and Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power”.

“The team is expected to present a report to the Honourable Minister by November 1,  2024,” Tunji added.

The national grid has collapsed eight times in 2024, with the first recorded on February 4.

TCN also reported the national grid collapsed on March 28, April 15, July 6, and August 5.

Also, Nigerians experienced another blackout on October 14, October 15 and October 19, respectively.

Earlier today, TCN reported power outage in the northeast, northwest and parts of north-central after 330-kilovolt (kV) Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped.