The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced that discussions are ongoing to transfer the management of the national power grid to an Independent System Operator (ISO) in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
This shift is expected to foster better discipline in grid management and optimise investments in infrastructure.
The latest national grid collapse, which occurred early Saturday morning, was reportedly caused by an explosion at the Jebba transmission station, triggering a cascade of power plants shutting down.
Despite the disruption, power had been significantly restored across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by 1 pm on Saturday.
This was the third grid collapse in a week, with previous incidents taking place on Monday and Tuesday.
NERC, in a statement on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, acknowledged the rise in grid disturbances and noted that these outages are reversing some of the recent progress in reducing infrastructure deficits and improving grid stability.
The commission is now planning to hold an investigative public hearing to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of these recurring grid failures.
The unbundling of the System Operator function from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is part of the broader strategy to address these issues.
The expectation is that an independent system operator will bring enhanced grid management and discipline.
NERC will soon announce the date and venue for the public hearing, inviting stakeholders to participate in the process of finding long-term solutions to the nation’s grid challenges.
