NERC to conduct public hearing over grid collapses

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) said it will conduct an investigative public hearing on 24 October to address the recurring grid collapses and widespread outages.

The commission posted a statement on its X handle on Sunday stating that the public hearing will be held at its hearing room in Abuja.

Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria’s electricity grid collapsed again, throwing several cities into darkness.

Electricity companies announced that the grid collapsed around 08:15 a.m. on Saturday. This latest collapse comes days after the grid collapsed last Tuesday.

There have been over six cases of grid collapse in 2024 alone.

In its statement, NERC said in line with Section 48, subsection 1 of the Electricity Act 2023 (Amended), it is mandated to conduct public hearings on critical issues relating to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

“The commission has noted with concern the recent escalating incidence of grid disturbances often leading to marked outage in several states thus reversing many of the gains recently achieved in reducing infrastructure deficit and improving grid stability.

“In this regard, the commission hereby invites NESI stakeholders, civil society organisations, and the general public to a hearing which is scheduled as follows: Date: Thursday, 24th October, 2024. Venue: Commission’s Hearing Room, Fourth Floor, Plot 1387, Cadastral Zone A00, Central Business District, Abuja. Time: 10:00 am Prompt,” the agency wrote.

In recent years, the power sector has experienced many challenges in areas of electricity policy enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, gas supply, transmission system constraints, and significant power sector planning shortfalls.

In November 2013, the federal government privatised all power generation and 11 distribution companies, with the government retaining the ownership of the transmission company. This was to improve efficiency in the sector.

However, since the privatisation, the grid has continued to collapse amid efforts to reposition the power sector.