… AEDC raked in N22bn in Sept- Source
…FG reacts, mulls holding public hearing on issue
…Mini grid, full privatization way out -expert
BY SAM OTUONYE
The federal government through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has reacted to New National Star Newspapers cover story of Friday, October 18, wherein the paper did an investigative report on the causes and solutions to the frequent grid collapse.
The reputable national daily spoke to experts and sources close to the power sector who revealed that constant grid collapse among other causes, was predominantly an insider sabotage. The source who preferred to be anonymous said that the grid collapse which results to power outage is orchestrated by the DisCos who take advantage of it to extort the consumers without prepaid meters.
He revealed that Aedc made a revenue of N22 billion in September owing to such sharp practice. He noted that whenever there is an outage, power recovery for areas without prepaid meters take a longer time because whether they have electricity or not their bills are constant.
The source said: “I was with an Aedc management staff recently who told me that some of the faults in the Network are ‘deliberately created by them'( same as intentional service disruption !! ) especially in areas where estimated billing is still in place.
The Implication is that whether they supply Energy or not,Aedc rakes in money monthly.
This applies to other franchise areas too.
I have an unconfirmed report that Aedc made about 22billion naira in the Month of September alone.
“This money is not used for Network improvement or development.
Look at how dilapidated the Circuits are .
We are actually partly paying for losses in the Network !!
“If you need Power in an unserved area, you have to buy a Transformer and other Circuit Items .
Staff remuneration is still poor..
It is unfortunate.”
Also speaking, Engr Nnamdi Okoli, an Electrical Engineer opined that for the grid to stabilize government should invest in transmission infrastructure. He explained that more of the problems associated with grid collapse are with transmission, adding that government should not only invest in transmission but also monitor it consistently.
He also advocated for a power policy that would liberalize Mini Grid regime, insisting, “Mini Grids are now in vogue.”
Okoli maintained that developed countries, including South Africa, have taken to mini grid where grids are built in small units to avoid wholesome energy collapse in the event of any mishaps.
He added: “It is gladdening to note that Government has developed a lot of interest in Solar Mini Grids, being anchored by Rural Electrification Agency. More of Energy decentralization and transitioning will pull us out of the problem we are facing today.”
He lamented the energy distribution setback occasioned by the inability of the transmission arm of the value chain to deliver appropriate volumes.
“We generate close to 12,000MW but are unable to transmit /deliver up to 4,000 MW consistently due to the issues with the intermediate Phase of Energy Supply,” he stated.
Okoli counted Nigeria fortunate for not experiencing some climatic challenges affecting power operations in some other countries.
“God has been so favourable to us in the sense that Countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe are grappling with Climate Change due to El Nino .
Their Renewable Sources ( Hydro !!) are virtually shut down as a result.”
He recommended energy mix as a means Nigeria could proactively hedge against unforseen climatic challenges, adding that the decentralization of the energy sector was apt but called for total implementation as “it is the last effort to increase energy supply.”
Mr Emeka Ezeh, Head Corporate communications Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) listed the causes of grid collapse to include: “There are situations where activities of vandals were responsible. There are situations where low frequency was responsible, so you cannot really say specifically that it is a particular thing, it depends on what happened at a time. You also need to appreciate the fact that this is a network that has been there for years – more than 50 years, if I’m not mistaken.”
Ezeh refuted the public perception about DisCos sabotaging the system by not picking all of the energy allocated to them, lamenting that the allocations are never enough.
“So if the quantum of energy that is being generated is not enough to sustain the grid it can collapse, that’s when you have low frequency.”
“What is being generated is not enough for the DisCos. The allocations are not enough to address our needs. We are under obligation to take your allocation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, national grid collapse was not strange as there is a history of national grid collapse in past decades.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had reported that the nation recorded 105 cases of grid collapse in ten years, from 2015 till date.
The TCN General Manager Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this in a statement posted on the company’s X handle in May, 2024.
The TCN had severally reported cases of national grid system collapses, resulting in reduced electricity allocation to electricity distribution companies in the country.
On 15 April, Nigeria’s electricity grid collapsed, throwing several cities into darkness.
The grid collapsed as generation dropped to 64.70 megawatts, officials said.
Even though in its statement the company said the number of grid disturbances/system collapses had gradually reduced, contrary to popular opinion.
“In recent years, the number of grid disturbances/system collapses has gradually reduced, contrary to popular opinion.
“Clearly, between 2020 to date (five years), we recorded fourteen total and six partial grid disturbances totalling twenty (20), which represents a 76.47 per cent reduction in grid disturbance, when compared to the previous five years, (2015 to 2019) where we had sixty-four total and twenty-one partial grid disturbances, totalling eighty-five (85) times,” Ms Mbah said.
She said this improvement is, however, not unconnected to the continuous effort by the management to strategically expand the grid while harnessing in-house capacities to find solutions to grid stability, pending the deployment of SCADA/EMS.
“No doubt there is room for improvement, and TCN will continue to work hard to further reduce the number of grid disturbances to the barest minimum,” she added.
The experts and stakeholders have advised that the government should, as a matter of urgency, implement full deregulation of the power sector, invest hugely in the transmission value chain, replace and reconstruct obsolete equipment and systems, and encourage mini grid construction.
They also advised that the corruption in the system and insider sabotage be tracked, exposed and punished.