The Federal Government has shared the main reasons behind Nigeria's frequent power grid failures. These include poor maintenance, old equipment, and limited resources. This update follows the latest grid failure, which is the tenth one in 2024.
At a meeting in Abuja, Nafisatu Asabe Ali, who leads the investigation, explained the causes of the blackouts on October 14 and 19. High voltage, broken lightning arrestors, and an explosion at the Jebba station were key factors. Ali said that the lack of a second reactor at Jebba station made it vulnerable to high voltage. Aging equipment and poor maintenance made things worse.
Jebba station, built in 1968, still uses old equipment, which needs an urgent upgrade. Other problems include stolen infrastructure, poor maintenance plans, lack of power generation checks, and not enough trained workers.
To fix this, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu said that major reforms and more funding are needed. The ministry plans to request extra funds in the 2024 Supplementary Budget and the 2025 Budget to improve the grid and replace outdated equipment.
Adelabu is worried about the repeated grid failures. He said, "These grid collapses hurt the country and the power sector. It’s also a personal concern for me as Minister of Power." He plans to report to President Bola Tinubu about the needed actions and their costs.
The committee suggests solutions like regular checks of equipment, better maintenance, adding harmonics filters, moving the TCN store, and replacing temporary fiber optic cables on power lines.
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