Minister of Power, Adelabu Warns of Inevitable Grid Collapses Without Regional Grids

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has emphasized the urgent need for the establishment of regional power grids to address the frequent collapses of Nigeria’s electricity grid. Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of Hexing Livoltek, an electricity meter manufacturing company in Lekki, Lagos, he noted that the current state of the country’s power infrastructure makes grid failures almost unavoidable.

Adelabu argued that implementing multiple power grids in various regions and states would enhance stability. He stated, “This Electricity Act has decentralised power. It has enabled all the subnational governments, the state government and the local government, to be able to participate in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. We all rely on a single national grid today; if there is a disturbance of the national grid, it affects all 36 states. It shouldn’t be like that. This will enable us to start moving gradually towards having regional groups and possibly having state grids.”

He further explained the advantages of having independent grids: “Each of these grids will be removed and shielded from each other. So, if there’s a problem with a particular grid, only the state where it belongs will be affected, not the entire nation. So, this is one of the impacts this Electricity Act will have.”

On the subject of grid collapses, Adelabu stressed that without significant investment in power infrastructure, such occurrences would persist. “We keep talking about grid collapse. Grid collapse, grid collapse, whether it’s a total collapse, partial collapse, or slight trip-off. This is almost inevitable as it is today, given the state of our power infrastructure. The infrastructure is in deplorable conditions, so why won’t you have trip-offs? Why won’t you have collapses, either total or partial? It will continue to remain like this until we can overhaul the entire infrastructure. What we do now is to make sure that we manage it,” he stated.

He noted a brief period of stability, saying, “In the last four months, we have not heard of any grid collapse, except two days ago when we had a partial collapse that didn’t even last two hours. So, what we work on now is how to improve our response time, to bring it up each time it collapses.” He highlighted the need for modernization, indicating that many transformers are outdated: “There are transformers of 60 years old, and 50 years old, and you’re expecting them to perform at the optimal rate. It is not possible.”

During the launch, Adelabu praised Hexing Livoltek for its investment in Nigeria at a time when many companies are withdrawing. He described the event as a significant step toward a more efficient electricity sector. The minister noted that the factory’s opening aligns with efforts to prioritize local content, create jobs, and reduce dependency on imports.

Robert Liang, Chief Executive Officer of Hexing Group, expressed enthusiasm for the company’s new venture in Nigeria, calling it a pivotal moment in their commitment to advancing clean energy. “This is a proud moment for the Hexing Group as we open our branch in Nigeria. It’s more than just an office; it’s a step towards a future where clean energy drives the growth of this great nation,” Liang asserted, highlighting Hexing’s experience in smart energy systems and solar technology over the past three decades.