NIGERIA’s national power grid has experienced several collapses in recent times. This comes at a huge cost to power infrastructure and businesses relying essentially on grid power.
Power sector watchers say the incessant collapse is largely caused by weak, obsolete transmission infrastructure and lack of central communication system in the grid management.
They also believe that with the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023, the states should be able to take responsibilities to protect national electricity assets and discourage central grid systems.
“All the 36 state governors should be encouraged to invest in power distribution and transmission assets. They should also encourage grid decentralisation to lessen the pressure on the national grid,” an energy lawyer, Fodil Mohammed Noah, said in response to the incessant grid collapse.
Consequently, over reliance of the 11 distribution companies, generation and transmission companies on a single grid infrastructure exposes Nigeria’s power supply to high risk with recurrent grid collapse a major concern.
What is National Grid?
The national power grid, according to NERC, is a vast network of electrical transmission lines that link power stations to end-use customers across the country and it is designed to function within specific stability boundaries, including voltage (330kV ± 5.0 per cent) and frequency (50Hz ± 0.5 per cent).
“Any deviation from these stability ranges can result in decreased power quality and, in severe cases, cause widespread power outages, ranging from a partial collapse of a section of the grid to a full system collapse.
“When the electricity demand is higher than the supply, the grid frequency drops. Conversely, if supply surpasses demand, the frequency increases. In reaction to the grid operating at a frequency outside of the normal operation range (especially when the frequency is too low), safety settings on generation units may cause the units to shut down, “NERC said.
The frequent collapse has left several unanswered questions about poor management of the grid and what the stakeholders in the power sector need to do differently.
Major causes of grid collapse
The ICIR findings revealed that one of the major causes of grid collapse is instability and overload.
When the demand for electricity exceeds the capacity of the transmission lines, they can become overloaded. It may lead to overheating, equipment failure or cascading outages.
Also, poorly designed or malfunctioning protection systems like circuit breakers can fail to isolate faults, which can lead to system wide-issue. Transformers which are crucial in stepping down high-voltage electricity for distribution is also a factor. Their failure can cause localised or large scale power outages.
Generator failures in which a major power generation unit (such as a large hydro, stream or thermal Unit)) goes off-line unexpectedly, the loss of power generation can strain the remaining generators. Inadequate training or miscommunication among system operators can result in wrong decisions which can cause systems disturbances.
Earthquakes can damage physical infrastructure, including power plants and transmission lines, leading to a collapse in the system
Floods can inundate power stations and disrupt the operation of transmission lines, particularly in low-lying areas.
GenCos lost over N21billion in 2024 over grid collapse
Experts in power sector have lamented the increasing impact of grid collapses on Generating Companies (GenCos) in Nigeria, citing that this year alone, each has incurred at least N21,873,684,285 losses.
During a recent paper presentation tagged: “Understanding the impact of grid collapses and machine shutdowns on thermal GenCos machines (The technical and commercial implications), Stephen Ogaji, noted that apart from great revenue loss due to the inability to generate power into the grid, grid collapse affects not only the utilities but also the entire economic system that depends on a stable power supply.
Ogaji also highlighted that grid collapses and forced shutdowns on thermal GenCos lead to decrease in capacity utilisation, resulting to a decrease in revenue by the station, poor efficiency in gas utilisation, poor utilisation of contracted gas on take-or-pay commitment, and deterioration or damage of key mechanical and electrical equipment during frequent startups and shutdowns, among others.
Also, presenting statistics on “Understanding the impact of grid collapse on the GenCos hydro machines (the technical and commercial implication)”, a power sector expert, Jacob John Barasuno, said each hydropower GenCos had incurred at least N21,873,684,285 losses in 2024.
He noted that the losses this year are much higher than previous years.
He cited that while amount lost following grid collapse by each GenCo was at least N6,300,305,615 and N2,379,055,538 in 2023 and 2022 respectively, he maintained that it signified an increasing trend in grid collapses in the country.
Ageing infrastructure and insufficient investment
Power systems with outdated or poorly maintained infrastructure are more prone to failures. Ageing transformers, circuit breakers, and transmission lines may fail under stress, contributing to a collapse.
Also, insufficient investments in infrastructure, maintenance, and upgrades can result in systems being unable to handle growing demand or new technological challenges.
It would be noted that Nigeria’s SCADA(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) which is a system that allows industrial organisations to monitor, control, and manage industrial processes, machines and plants are obsolete and doesn’t communicate real time to necessary parties for actions which as a result often triggers system collapse.
SCADA are made up of software and hardware components that work together to gather data, record it and present information through human-machines interfaces.
Impact of grid collapse on hydro power plant
So far ,Nigeria has recorded about 12 grid collapse this year ,which raised concerns by industry stakeholders over poor attention given by sector stakeholders on grid collapse.
Economic implications
Grid Collapse poses significant threat to Nigeria’s power sector, resulting in frequent disruptions, equipment damage, and substantial revenue losses for generation companies.
Technically, grid collapse can cause catastrophic damage to generators, transformers, and other critical infrastructure, leading to prolonged downtime and costly repairs.
Commercially, the impact is equally severe, as GenCos face reduced power sales, penalties for non-delivery(in bilateral and cross-border trades) and increased operational expenses.
The dwindling resources exacerbate these challenge, making it difficult for GenCos to maintain, repair and replace damaged equipment, ultimately compromising the reliability and efficiency of power supply.
Impact on hydro power plants
Several equipment got burnt because they cannot with stand such a voltage: automated system controllers programmes are altered.
Due to vibrations, there’s a misalignment on some shaft. There’s also contamination of lubrication oil to bearings.
Damaged parts may not be available since most of the machines are imported and not locally sourced.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.