Public Hearing: Stakeholders seek end to system collapse in electricity market

By Administrator 

The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC Engr. Sanusi Garba has reiterated the need to address the disturbances and endemic system collapse affecting the electricity sector in the county.

This was part of the fallout during the Public hearing involving all the players in the Nigerian electricity market held yesterday in Abuja.

He emphasised that the aim of the public hearing was to restore confidence in the electricity supply industry and mitigate widespread blackouts across the nation. He also explained that all submissions by stakeholders have been noted and adequate actions would be set in motion to address the issues raised and apply the recommendations advanced.

The public hearing attracted stakeholders from the electricity sector, civil society organizations, and the general public, focusing on strategies to revamp the grid system. Most speakers also remarked the need for training of staff members across the value chain in the electricity industry to be able to meet up with the current demand the market.

Speaking during the engagement, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Joy Ogaji, of the Association of Power Generation Companies APGC decried that the nation recorded 162 cases of grid collapse from 2013 till date.

She emphasized the huge financial loss recorded by businesses as well as individuals as a result of the recurring grid collapses and widespread outages usually occasioned by the grid disturbances.

“From the association data taken from 2013 till date the grid has collapsed 162 times,” Ms Ogaji said.

She said the level of frequency fluctuation and frequency crippling on the grid cannot be cured by a free governor.

 “Before the grid code specified or the switch is up to like four. But we have done investigation and found out that sometimes the cripple is well over four, even up to ten, that is eating into somebody’s generation that would have fetched them money.

“So while I am not saying that spinning reserve is a solution, I believe that putting a spinning reserve and the free governor mode side by side can cure the volatility on the grid, because research shows that about hundreds of steel mills operate on our grid, and we know what steel mills does to frequency,” she said.

According to her, the association did a study and found out that 95 per cent of the time, from 2013 till date, the grid has not been in compliance with the grid code requirement of 50 hertz.

“It has always been out of frequency requirement of the grid,” she added.