By The Federal Government has identified a poor maintenance culture, aging infrastructure, and outdated equipment as primary factors contributing to repeated national power grid collapses seen over recent months. According to an investigative committee led by Nafisatu Asabe Ali, the high voltage demands placed on this aging infrastructure were behind the blackouts on October 14 and 19, 2024. Ali presented the findings on Wednesday at the Ministry of Power headquarters in Abuja, a day after the grid experienced its 10th collapse of 2024.
The investigation revealed that issues like shattering lightning arrestors at Jebba and Oshogbo stations and a CT explosion in Jebba contributed to recent collapses. Ali explained, “The high voltage, exacerbated by the unavailability of a second reactor at Jebba, caused the voltage to spike beyond safe levels, degrading insulation and leading to equipment failure.” She noted that much of Jebba’s equipment dates back to 1968, highlighting the challenge of aged infrastructure.
The committee also identified other issues, including vandalism, a lack of free governor controls at power plants, inconsistent maintenance schedules, and staffing shortages.
In response, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu pledged to seek additional funding through the 2024 Supplementary Budget and the 2025 Appropriation Bill to implement needed upgrades. Adelabu voiced optimism about resolving the grid issues, stating that “reforms are essential to curb these frequent grid collapses, which are concerning for the ministry and the country.”
The committee recommended several actions to improve grid stability, such as conducting audits on existing equipment, enhancing transmission maintenance, installing harmonic filters, decentralizing TCN storage, enforcing Free Governor Mode of Operation, and replacing taped optic fibers with proper optical ground wires.
