Again, Grid Collapse Triggers Nationwide Blackout
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On Wednesday, the national electricity grid collapsed, dropping power generation to about 260 megawatts (MW) and causing nationwide outage.
None of the over 20 generation Companies (GenCos) produced energy as of 1pm due to the system collapse while it was not immediately clear what caused the power grid disturbance, according to real-time power grid records by the Independent System Operations (ISO) section of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.
The peak power generation was 4,757MW as of Tuesday, while the lowest generation was 3,976MW. While 101,605 megawatts hour (MWH) energy was generated, consumers through the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) utilised 99,955MWH.
As of Tuesday, the peak power generation was 4,757MW while the lowest generation was 3,976MW. While 101,605 megawatts hour (MWH) energy was generated, consumers through the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) utilised 99,955MWH.
However, by Wednesday afternoon, checks indicated that only five of the 11 DisCos had slight energy allocation while the six others had no energy to supply to their customers across the states.
Their energy load expectations also dropped from over 4,000MW previously to 260MW by 1:00pm on Wednesday.
For instance, Abuja DisCo which had anticipated 458.927MW for Wednesday had it cut to 50MW by 1pm as efforts were ongoing to revive the national grid.
By Bunmi Oni
Residents of Olosun community, Ota in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have called on the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to come to their aid as the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) is making life unbearable for them.
They said most of the time, the community is in total darkness as a result of power outages lasting for days without any plausible explanation.
According to the residents, the action of the power company does not preclude it from bringing outrageous bills for consumers despite the persistent blackout.
A resident of the community, Mr. Matthew Olaosebikan, on Wednesday said: “Only God can save us from this persistent power outage from IBEDC. For over seven months now, it has been from one outage to another. We spent the last Christmas in darkness.
Liquidity: Electricity sector generates N272.47bn in six months
On DISCOs collection efficiency Q3’20
By Obas Esiedesa
Electricity market revenue grew by 10.55 per cent to N272.47 billion in the second half (July-December) 2020, compared to N246.46 billion generated in the corresponding period of 2019, according to the latest industry data obtained by Energy Vanguard.
The growth followed an intervention from the Presidency through the Central Bank of Nigeria, which imposed restriction on revenue collection bank accounts of Electricity Distribution Companies, DisCos.
The intervention meant that the bank accounts were locked, with cash allowed to come in but withdrawals by DisCos blocked.
Over the years, the DisCos have been accused by other industry operators of spending the industry’s revenue on their own operations to the detriment of others.
The number of unmetered Nigerians has increased to 7.42 million as of September 2020, latest data from the Nigerian Electricity Commission has shown.
The official data obtained by BizWatch Nigeria on Tuesday indicated that out of 11,841,819 registered electricity customers, only 4,425,628(about 37.37 per cent) had been metered as of the end of September 2020.
The regulatory framework on Meter Asset Provider (Regulation) issued by the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NERC) came into effect on 8 March 2018 and became enforceable on 3 April 2018.
The Regulation seeks to encourage the development of independent and competitive meter services, eliminate estimated billing practices and close the metering gap through accelerated meter roll out.