Power Minister, Adelabu has revealed why the collapse of the national grid would not stop happening, while saying regional, state grids are solution to frequent power outages.
Minister Adelabu spoke on Wednesday during the launch of Hexing Livoltek, a new electricity meter manufacturing company in Lekki, Lagos.
Adelabu said grid collapse is almost a certainty in Nigeria because of our infrastructure. He said multiple grids across regions and states would stabilise power supply.
He added that the decentralization of the power sector, enabled by the 2023 Electricity Act signed by President Bola Tinubu would make it possible to create regional grids. This allows state and local governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity.
“The Electricity Act decentralizes power, allows subnational governments to manage electricity. Right now, the whole country is on a single national grid, so if there’s a problem, it affects all 36 states. With regional or state grids, the problem will be confined to the affected area not the whole country,” Adelabu said.
On grid collapse, he said without significant investment in the sector, grid collapse will continue to happen.
“We hear about grid collapse, full, partial or minor. With our current infrastructure, it’s almost impossible to avoid it. The infrastructure is bad, so it’s no surprise we have these outages. It will continue until we completely overhaul the system,” Adelabu said.
He said there had been no grid collapse in the last four months until Monday’s partial collapse which was resolved within two hours. Adelabu said we need to invest in upgrading our outdated infrastructure, transformers that are 50 to 60 years old.
On the launch of the new electricity meter manufacturing company, Adelabu said Hexing has made a big investment in Nigeria at a time when others are pulling out.
“This is a big step forward for a more efficient and fair electricity sector in Nigeria,” he said. He also said the new meter factory would increase local content, create jobs and reduce Nigeria’s importation.
Robert Liang, CEO of Hexing Group said he is excited about Hexing’s entry into Nigeria. He called the moment a key milestone for Hexing’s push for clean energy in the country.
“This is a big moment for Hexing as we are in Nigeria. It’s not just an office, it’s a commitment to a future where clean energy powers the country’s growth,” Liang said, listing Hexing’s 30 years of leadership in smart energy, solar technology and digital infrastructure.
Meanwhile, The PUNCH reports that the national grid was back to normal by Wednesday evening.
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