Power crisis: FG eyes AfDB’s $250m electrification project as explosion hits Kainji/Jebba
…Forces nationwide blackout
…Restoration of grid at advanced stage — TCN
The Federal Government (FG) has made recourse to the plans of the African Development Bank (AfDB) to inject $250 million into the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), following crisis in the nation’s power sector.
According to the Energy Progress Report 2022, released by Tracking SDG 7, Nigeria has the lowest access to electricity globally, with approximately 92 million out of the country’s 200 million population lacking access to power.
Explaining the cause of the blackout, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu disclosed that there was an explosion that led to a fire outbreak at Kainji/Jebba located in the North-central part of Nigeria.
Adelabu in a series of tweets on X (formerly Twitter) platform on Thursday said, “At 00:35Hrs this morning, Fire outbreak with explosion sound was observed on Kainji/Jebba 330kV line 2 (Cct K2J) blue phase CVT & Blue phase line Isolator of Kainji/Jebba 330kV line1 was observed burning. This led to sharp drops in frequency from 50.29Hz to 49.67 Hz at 0:35:06Hrs with Jebba generation loss of 356.63MW.”
Giving assurance that the problem would be fixed, he said, “We are on top of the situation and speedy restoration is in progress. The fire has been fully arrested and over half of the connections are now up and the rest will be fully restored in no time. My sincere appreciation to those who responded or expressed concern via different.”
Report revealed that the nation’s power supply dropped by 93.5 per cent to 273 megawatts (MW) in the early hours of Thursday from 4,182MW recorded on Monday, following a complete system collapse, due to grid disturbance in the sector.
The development led to Distribution Companies (DisCos) apologising to customers over the system collapse.
Confirmation from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), indicated that as at 8a.m., Thursday morning, there was no transmission, distribution and supply of electricity to consumers across the nation.
In a notice obtained from its X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, (EKEDC), stated: “Kindly be informed that a system collapse occurred today at 6:41 a.m. This has resulted in a total loss of supply across our network.
“We are in continuous communication with our partners at the National Control Centre, NCC, Osogbo. You will be updated as we get more information.”
Similarly, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) stated: “The management of AEDC wishes to inform its customers that the power outage currently being experienced is a result of a system failure from the national grid in the early hours of today (Thursday), 14 September 2023.
“Be rest assured that we are working with the relevant stakeholders to restore power as soon as the grid is stabilised.”
In the South-East, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) said, “We wish to inform our esteemed customers of a total system collapse which occurred at 12:40am today, 14th September 2023. This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network.”
It noted that “Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States.”
“We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre, NCC, Osogbo,” it added.
Meanwhile, amidst the crisis, the Federal Government on Thursday mentioned its interest in investment of the AfDB to the tune of $250 million into the NEP, noting the Bank is ready for the disbursement of the fund.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu on X (formerly known as Twitter), on Thursday underscored the fruitful outcome of a Bilateral Cooperation meeting held during the ongoing “Just Energy Transition and Agricultural Transformation for Africa” conference in Busan, South Korea.
The gathering, presided over by AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, brought together key stakeholders to discuss pivotal energy and agricultural transformations for the African continent.
The Minister in his tweet on Thursday said, “This initiative aims to establish operational capacity across the entire value chain, facilitating project prioritisation. AfDB also confirmed readiness to disburse a previously approved $250 million fund for the Nigeria Electrification Project under the Rural Electrification Agency and extended support to Northern Nigerian states through the $20 billion 10,000MW Northern Africa Desert to Power fund.”
The NEP seeks to bridge the energy access deficit by providing electricity to households, MSMEs, and educational and healthcare facilities in unserved and underserved rural communities.
Over 600,000 people, approximately 100,000 households, 70,000 MSMEs, and eight universities will receive new or improved access to electricity services as a result of the project.
The NEP project is expected to bring new or enhanced access to electricity services to over 600,000 people, including approximately 100,000 households, 70,000 MSMEs, and eight universities.
It will also create an enabling environment for private sector involvement, with a particular focus on advancing opportunities for women through various integrated activities such as the collection of sex-disaggregated data and gender-targeted marketing.
…Restoration of grid is at advanced stage — TCN
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said that the national grid restoration nationwide has reached advanced stages.
This is contained in a statement issued by TCN General Manager on Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah in Abuja.
The company said that power supply has been restored to the West, North Central, South, East, and a large portion of the Northern parts of the country.
The TCN said that grid collapsed totally at about 12.35am causing outage nationwide, after over 421 days of consistent grid stability.
The company said that in the course of the grid restoration, the process initially suffered a setback; this does not amount to another collapse.
“In the course of any grid restoration process, challenges may be encountered. This happened while the grid restoration was in progress, but it was promptly addressed.
“It would be recalled that the last total system collapse recorded was on July 20, 2022.”
“Prior to this, the system had been stable in spite of the challenges posed by zero spinning reserve and lack of System Control and lack of adequate Data Acquisition (SCADA) essential to a strong and stable grid, among others,” the company said.
The TCN said it has been able to maintain 400 days of grid stability because it developed and deployed in-house stop gap measures and tools that it has continued to use to manage the nations grid, ensuring its stability.
The company also said that the collapse that occurred after a fire incident on the Kanji/Jebba 330 Kilo Volt line II was being investigated, with a view to forestall future occurrence and invariably further strengthen the grid.
