Regionalisation of grids will address national grid collapse — Don

President-elect, Nigerian Academy of Science and Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Engineering and Environmental Designs, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Abubakar Sambo, has said that the frequent collapses of the National Grid can be abated by regionalisation of the National Grid.

Professor Sambo said this on Thursday when he delivered the 12th convocation lecture of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, titled, The Optimum Utilisation of Nigeria’s Energy Resources for the Sustainable Growth and Development of the Nation.

Professor Emeritus also said that the recent power outage in 17 states of the nation, caused by damage of transmission towers in one state by bandits, should not be allowed to happen in the future.

As a step towards the regionalisation of the National Grid, Professor Sambo said that states should ensure they have state-wide grids as part of establishing their electricity markets as provided by Electricity Act 2023.

“All State Grids can operate independently such that faults in one state will not affect other states,” he said, adding that all State Grids should be interconnected with the grids
of contiguous states.

He also suggested that dispatchable power plants should be available in states and be located at strategic points along the National Grid, saying that renewable energy power plants and small modular reactors have been found to be effective dispatchable power plants.

“The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), which TCN says is only 70% completed and which enables real-time monitoring and control of the grid, allowing operators to detect faults, manage loads effectively, and respond to issues swiftly, should be completed as quickly as possible,” he said.

He also called for the institution of effective security monitoring of energy infrastructure, “such that cameras and sensors can effectively send out signals before damages or theft of energy supply components are done”.

Professor Sambo said that providing an adequate and reliable energy supply with expanded energy mix, to ensure high level of security of supply and in line with the nation’s energy demand and supply projections, is
the panacea for sustainable development of the country.

“Securing energy infrastructure from vandalisation, by terrorists and thieves, is a necessary measure to avoid disruption in energy supplies. The very recent inauguration of the Council for Securing National Critical Infrastructure, by the Federal Government, is a move in the right direction.

“The local production of power plant components like transformers, solar modules and their balance of systems components of inverters, deep cycle rechargeable batteries and charge controllers, along the lines of what NASENI and a few others have started, should be supported and expanded to cater for the nation’s needs and to key into the AfCFTA initiative, for export to other nations, in the long term.

“With the Petroleum Industry Act coming into effect in 2021 and the more recent Electricity Act 2023, the coast is clear for the optimal use of the nation’s conventional and renewable energy resources to provide for the socio-economic growth of the nation in general and to specifically provide for large energy needs of:

a. Large-scale agriculture and agro-allied industries.
b. Large-scale open cast and underground mines and mineral processing plants.
c. Several manufacturing industries in areas of the nation have comparative advantages.
d. Several tourism sites with facilities of international standards.

“Providing energy for agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and tourism will enable generation of revenue other than the revenue from the sale of oil and gas and ensure that Nigeria does not slip into economic recession whenever a pandemic like COVID-19 occurs.

“The National Action Plan on EVs, produced by the NADDC, should be approved and implemented. In the same vein, there is a need for the local production of electric vehicles in the country.

“There is a need to ensure that the energy supply is based on the
nation’s Energy Transition Plan which is based on Nigeria’s
commitment to the Net-Zero carbon emission pledge by 2060 and reflecting the nation’s Nationally Determined Contributions for abating climate change but in line with its “Just Energy Transition Policy (JETP)”.

“It is necessary for the JETP to actively embrace all the low-carbon energy systems of renewable energy sources and nuclear power. Net Zero is not Absolute Zero, This means if the nation can institute carbon capture techniques and establish forestry plantations, which are natural carbon sinks, the nation can continue using oil and gas even beyond 2060”, he said.

In his welcome address, the vice chancellor, KWASU, Professor Shaykh Luqman Jimoh, said that the theme of the lecture was both timely and crucial, considering the vital role energy plays in shaping the socio-economic development of any nation.

The VC, who said that the university remained resolute in its mission to foster intellectual growth and contribute to national development, added that the lecture exemplified commitment to addressing critical
issues and proffering practical solutions through the power of knowledge.

Also, the chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Sheriff Sagaya, who was represented by Barrister Abdulfatah Salman, called on governments to always consider issues about the youth of the nation, saying that, “if youth are educated, the nation would be great”.

He also charged youth to prepare for life before them and to utilize youthful energy in productive ventures. “The future of Nigeria rests on you”, he told Nigerian youth, as he also challenged them to see obstacles as springboards. Alhaji Sagaya donated N10m towards development of the school.

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