The president-elect of Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof Abubakar Sambo, has recommended the regionalisation of the national grid as solution to the incessant grid collapse in the country.
Sambo who is a Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Engineering and Environmental Designs, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto made the recommendation in the 12th convocation lecture of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, which he delivered.
The convocation lecture was titled: “The Optimum Utilisation of Nigeria’s Energy Resources for the Sustainable Growth and Development of the Nation.”
Sambo said that the recent power outage in 17 states of the nation, caused by the damage of transmission towers in one state by bandits, should not be allowed to repeat itself.
He said that states should ensure that they have state-wide grids as part of establishing their electricity markets as provided by the 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 suggested that dispatchable power plants be available in states and to 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.
Prof Sambo also called for 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.”
He added that providing adequate and reliable energy supply with an expanded energy mix, to ensure high level of security of supply and in line with the nation’s energy demand and supply projections, remains the panacea for sustainable development of the country.
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