The national grip collapsed for the twelfth time this year, causing a momentary nationwide darkness.
However, Blueprint can report that the situation was quickly rectified as public power supply was restored in Abuja and some parts of the country at about 7.00pm.
This is coming as the federal government admitted the dilapidated nature of the facility and promised an additional 150 megawatts of electricity to the national grid before the end of the year.
It also said the incidences of national grid collapse if the states own their own power plants.
Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu said this Wednesday while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Presidential Villa Abuja.
…Way out of incessant collapse
He said the 150 megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid following the successful completion of the pilot phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).
He said 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,” he said.
The minister outlined significant advancements in the country’s energy sector, emphasising 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 name of the game now is about cooperation, collaboration, and partnership,” he said.
He said the Siemens project as a flagship component of this relationship, aimed at implementing both Brownfield and Greenfield transmission substations under the PPI.
Adelabu said since signing the agreement December 2023 during COP 28 in Dubai, Nigeria had made substantial progress.
“We have completed the pilot phase of this project up to 80%. 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 said. The minister further added that the next phase would involve rehabilitating 14 existing substations and establishing 23 new ones across Nigeria.
“The entire grid is quite fragile and dilapidated. We need to revamp it to ensure stability going forward,” he said.
The minister said the efforts were essential for transforming Nigeria’s energy landscape, aligning with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In addition to addressing immediate power needs, the minister emphasised 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.
Adelabu further said Germany’s expertise in renewable technologies aligns perfectly with Nigeria’s abundant natural resources.
“Germany has technology; we have the sun and wind,” he said, stressing 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 said.
The minister 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 said.
…The collapse
Meanwhile, a tweet via the official handle of Nigeria’s National Grid confirmed that the latest grid collapse occurred at about 2:09 pm Wednesday.
“The major grid setback has occurred and the restoration is to commence,” the handler wrote.
Collapsing of the national grid has become a frequent occurrence.
In October, the grid collapsed three times within a week, eliciting reactions from Nigerians.
Checks by Blueprint reporter on the website of the Independent System Operator (ISO), an offshoot of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), revealed all the generated power plants on the grid did not produce electricity by 2.00pm.
The power plants, when combined, contributed 3,087.05 megawatts of electricity by 1pm on Wednesday, but plummeted to zero level, thereby resulting in a nationwide grid collapse.
Checks by our reporter revealed that none of the 19 electricity Generation Companies (GenCos) in Nigeria produced power as of the time of filing this report.
…Dateline
The first time the national grid collapsed in 2024 was Sunday February 4, with power distribution companies reporting system failure, which consequently plunged the nation into darkness.
Again, on Thursday, March 28, another system failure was announced by the TCN, leading to blackout in different states, though some states regained power supply the following day.
Furthermore, on Monday, April 15, the national grid collapsed for the third time, evidently disrupting economic activities in different states, which officials attributed to frequency imbalances.
The beginning of the third quarter of the year saw the national grid collapsing for the fourth time on Saturday, July 6.
The bodies responsible for fixing the challenge assured on reinforcement of contingency measures, in order to prevent a repeat.
The blackout disrupted healthcare, manufacturing, and other critical sectors.
Again, on August 5, the nation was plunged into darkness for the fifth time following yet another national grid collapse.
October witnessed the highest level of national grid collapse as there was downtime in nation’s power supply when the facility suffered another breakdown October 14, October 15 (which was a partial collapse) and on Saturday, October 19, with the TCN, saying the latter was a precautionary measure to prevent an explosion at the Jebba transmission substation.
On November 5, the grid suffered a partial failure at 1:52 pm, with TCN spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, revealing line and generator tripping caused instability in the system, thereby resulting in an outage.
And just two days after, on November 7 to be precise, another collapse occurred, plunging Nigerians into yet another round of darkness.
Therefore, the December 11 national grid collapse makes it the 12th time in 2024, leading Nigerians to demand for urgent attention to address the menace.
…Plea to FG
Speaking with our reporter, a public affairs analyst, Nnachi Eze, said the Tinubu administration should not take the issue of the national grid collapses lying low as it behoves on the administration to restore the confidence of Nigerians by ensuring steady power supply.
He said: “The issue of national grid collapses is becoming worrisome and we are bound to ask questions. That it is collapsing for the 12th time this year is something Nigerians to worry about. The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration should look into finding a solution to the menace.
“The present Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, should take it as a challenge to solve whatever identifiable issue leading to the frequent national grid collapses. It is no longer funny, considering many families are struggling to stay afloat in the face of fuel subsidy removal. Again, we are already in the festive season and Nigerians need steady power supply to enjoy the yuletide.”
