The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and other relevant ministry agencies to immediately implement the recommendations of the inter-agency committee.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji, on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

Tunji said the committee was set up to address the incessant grid collapses in the power sector.

He stated that the minister’s order followed the TCN’s report that the national grid experienced a disturbance at approximately 11:29 a.m. on Thursday, which was caused by a sudden rise in frequency from 50.33Hz to 51.44Hz.

The TCN had said the frequency spike was caused by issues encountered at one of the company’s substations, noting that it had to be shut down to prevent further complications.

Tunji quoted the minister as saying that “all relevant agencies in the ministry must brace up for the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the committee.”

“The recommendations of the committee are far-reaching and will proffer lasting solutions to the incessant power grid collapses that we have embarrassingly witnessed in the country in the immediate and long term,” Adelabu said.

TCN: Why national grid collapsed

The committee recommended the audit and testing of existing equipment and improvement in the maintenance of the transmission equipment and lines.

It called for significant investments from the government and the private sector.

It also recommended the development of a framework and adoption of reliability-centered maintenance.

The committee identified critical ongoing projects for speedy completion.

The committee also recommended the replacement of aged and obsolete equipment, as well as enhancing SCADA and telecommunication tools

It urged a developing framework to attract private investment across the value chain, deploy IoT device on generating units and transmission lines, and secure firm gas contracts

It also called for the development and implementation of measures to combat vandalism and energy theft among others.

The Star