From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
In spite of the N4 trillion debt owed the electricity sector, the Federal Government has again obtained a $500 million loan from World Bank to finance the upgrade of distribution infrastructure network.
Speaking to journalists at the Senior Leadership Retreat of Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) in Abuja, recently, Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Gbeleyi, said that this will enable the sector provide 3.2 million meters for Nigeria.
Gbeleyi noted that the move is another piece of reform and that is a significant component of the president’s renewed hope agenda in terms of promise made and promise fulfilled.
“The birth of NISO has been on the drawing board for over 13 years. When the BPE embarked on the reform of the Nigerian electricity supply industry (NESI), the reality was birthed in May of last year, when NISO was also registered by the BPE, subsequent to the ascent to the electricity act in June 2023 by the president.
“So, clearly, it’s a major step that we have taken. And we will begin to see improved, reliable and steady power supply to Nigerians, as NISO is now fully unbundled from the former Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which is now left with its own licence of transmission service provider, responsible for building out and maintaining the national infrastructure grid, while NISO is responsible for systems operation, market operation and strategic planning of the grid. So, we expect to see significant improvements in the months and years ahead” he said.
According to the DG, as at today, the sector has about 5,500 MW of power being wheeled on a day-to-day basis.
“Compare that with the fact that the total nameplate capacity for generation in the country is a bit above 14,000 MW. So, it’s not a tall order for us to believe that in the near term, 12 months to 18 months, we can scale up capacity to probably increase that 5,500 by a minimum of 50 per cent” he noted.
In his remarks, Chairman, Board of Directors of NISO, Dr. Adesegun Akin-Olugbade affirmed that the
government has awarded new contracts for the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, covering the entire nation adding that work has since started.
“Work is in progress across the northern points in the system. And contractors are working endlessly, timelessly, tirelessly.
“You see, every day, progress is being made. We expect that by the end of next year, we should have this SCADA ready” he assured.
Akin-Olugbade further remarked that although NISO is an offshoot of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), it’s not entirely separated from the system which include BPE, distribution companies (DisCos), generation companies (GenCos) etc.
“We are part of a system, an ecosystem that include the BPE, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the System Operator, the Market Operator, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), the distribution companies (DisCos), the generation companies (GenCos), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the Ministry of Power, and our development partners.
“At NISO, we are working to build an institution that is technically sound and ethically grounded. Our independence is not just on paper; it must be felt in the market. It must be seen in our decisions. It must be evident in how we treat all players fairly, no special favours, no hidden hands.
“We are building governance frameworks that support neutrality. We are investing in people, our engineers, planners and economists to ensure they are world-class. And we are deploying tools and systems that ensure we don’t manage the grid with guesswork, but with real-time data and modern intelligence” he boasted.
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