No national grid collapses recorded in Q4 2022 – NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said the country did not record any national grid collapses in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The commission stated this in its latest quarterly report.

According to the report, there was an improvement in electricity supply during the period and the system operator (SO) worked to ensure that there were no grid collapses, which occurred often before the period.

It said: “It is noteworthy that there was no grid collapse in 2022/Q4. The commission, in collaboration with the TCN, will continue to intensify efforts to sustain the improvements in grid stability and prevent system collapses.

• Eid-el-Kabir: Economic, security challenges surmountable – Tinubu
• Sallah: How people can have fun-filled celebration on a low budget

The NERC report also notes that the national grid is designed to function within certain stability limits in terms of voltage (330kV±5%) and frequency (50Hz±0.5%). So, any deviation from these stability ranges can result in decreased power quality and, in severe cases, cause widespread power outages.

On the other hand, if supply surpasses demand, the frequency increases, and in severe cases, some power plants may shut down, causing a sudden drop in generation.

Nigeria’s electricity is dependent on two main sources – hydropower and natural gas plants.

According to the NERC report, hydropower experienced an increase in its share of the energy mix, rising from 29.42% (2,512.50 GWh) in 2022/Q3 to 30.98% (2,926.67 GWh) in 2022/Q4.

The average hourly generation on the grid in Q4 2022 was 4,231.87MWh/h, the report said.