NISO seeks stronger collaboration to tackle grid instability

By Onu Okorie

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, has called for stronger collaboration and greater operational discipline among stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to safeguard the stability of the national grid.
Mohammed made the call while declaring open a two-day workshop themed “Strengthening Grid Stability: A Collaborative Workshop for NESI Stakeholders,” held at the Jebba Hydro Power Plant and hosted by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited.
The workshop brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), generation and distribution companies, and technical experts from across the power sector.
The NISO chief executive described grid stability as the foundation for the security, reliability and resilience of Nigeria’s electricity system, stressing that achieving it would require more than technical interventions.
He identified generation and transmission constraints, changing demand patterns, frequency excursions and voltage-security challenges as some of the key issues confronting the system.
Mohammed said frequency excursions could result from sudden losses of generation or load, inaccurate forecasting and scheduling, fault-related disturbances, inadequate system inertia and the response of generating units during system events.
He noted that NISO’s compliance monitoring had further highlighted the need for stricter adherence to technical standards, including Free Governor Control requirements.
According to him, maintaining grid stability is a shared responsibility that requires coordinated action by all players across the electricity value chain.
The NISO boss also stressed the importance of linking short-term operational performance with long-term power-sector planning, particularly as Nigeria develops new generation and transmission projects.
He said careful assessment of transmission adequacy, system strength, reserve requirements and projected demand growth would be critical to ensuring the successful integration of new projects into the national grid.
Mohammed urged participants to use the workshop to move beyond diagnosing existing challenges and develop practical, measurable solutions.
He said the expected outcomes of the engagement included a common understanding of the major threats to grid stability, measurable commitments to improve frequency and voltage control, practical coordination protocols among NISO, TCN, GenCos and DisCos, as well as a mechanism for monitoring progress on agreed actions.
He reaffirmed NISO’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with TCN, generation and distribution companies, NERC and policymakers.
The objective, he said, was to build a national grid that is “stable, resilient, responsive” and capable of supporting Nigeria’s economic growth.
Mohammed commended Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited for hosting the workshop and encouraged participants to engage openly, challenge existing assumptions and contribute practical ideas towards improving the performance of the national power system.