Joseph Bakare
Nigeria is driving a fresh initiative to improve efficiency of its electricity grid network that is in enfeebled condition.
To try a new strategy to stabilize the grid, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has inaugurated the Grid Code Review Panel (GCRP) to promote efficient power sector operations and overhaul the technical functioning of the national grid.
The panel is expected to play a crucial role in the power sector and is responsible for evaluating and administering amendments to the grid code, which sets out the technical requirements for connection to and use of the national grid.
While inaugurating the panel, the NERC Chairman, Sanusi Garba, told the panel that the Commission has very high expectations.
He noted that the members should be dedicated to delivering on the national assignment of reviewing the code to make it fit for purpose and resolve the issues for which it was set up.
The Nigerian national electricity grid is operated as a centralised system managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), with a primary function of ensuring that electricity generated by power plants is efficiently transmitted and distributed across the country while maintaining stability and reliability.
At the heart of the grid’s operations is the National Control Centre (NCC) in Osogbo, Osun State, which oversees the real-time dispatch of electricity. Nigeria’s power generation is largely from hydro and thermal plants.
But the electricity they produce must be carefully balanced to match national demand.
The NCC continuously monitors system conditions, directing Generating Companies (Gencos) on how much power to produce at any given moment to maintain grid stability, as an imbalance between supply and demand could cause fluctuations in frequency, leading to partial or total grid collapse.
The NERC explained that the panel comprises 19 persons, comprising 15 members and four others serving in the panel’s secretariat.
The members were drawn from various Agencies including generation companies, TCN, Distribution Companies (Discos), eligible customers, among others.
The panel is expected to evaluate the proposed amendments to the existing grid code and present it to the ‘Initial Stakeholders Advisory Panel’ to review it before NERC approves it.
In his remarks, the NERC Commissioner, Engineering Performance and Monitoring, Chidi Ike, noted that the inauguration of the present members of the GCRP came at a time that it is needed the most.
According to him, the previous panel was constituted in 2018, explaining that much had changed since then in the operation of the national electricity grid.
Also speaking, the Chairperson of the panel, Nafisat Ali, assured of the members’ cooperation towards delivering on the tasks they were given.