Nigeria: NISO Calls For Operator Discipline To Improve Grid Stability At Mainstream Workshop

Nigeria’s Independent System Operator (NISO) has said greater discipline among operators across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is essential to achieving a more stable national power grid.

Speaking at a two-day workshop hosted by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited at its Jebba Hydropower Plant in Niger State, NISO told industry operators that investments in infrastructure must be matched by strict compliance with technical and operational standards.

Mainstream, which operates the Kainji, Jebba and Zungeru hydropower plants, brought together generation and distribution companies, representatives of the National Control Centre (NCC), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and other stakeholders to discuss measures to improve grid stability and power supply reliability.

NISO said grid stability would depend not only on infrastructure investments but also on disciplined dispatch, adherence to technical standards, timely sharing of operational information and professionalism across the sector.

Uman Muhammad Umar, Executive Director of Corporate Services at Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, said interconnected challenges in the power sector should not be addressed in isolation.

“The greater challenge is ensuring that our institutions do not address interconnected problems in isolation, as a more stable grid will require more information sharing, stronger coordination, compliance with agreed standards, investments in the right infrastructure and, importantly, greater coordination across the value chain,” Umar said.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Engr. A.B. Mohammed, said addressing the challenges facing the electricity sector required more than technical interventions.

“It demands accurate and timely operational information, adequate frequency and voltage resources, effective reserve management, strict compliance with the grid code, operational procedures and discipline,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed concluded the workshop with a tour of the Jebba Hydropower Plant, where he praised the transformation undertaken by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited.

“I am impressed with what I have seen today at this plant and if this is what is happening at all the other utilities in the sector, then we should expect changes in the very near future,” he said.

Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited said it would continue to support platforms that bring together stakeholders to identify challenges and develop solutions aimed at improving electricity supply to Nigerian households and businesses.