Mr Biodun Ogunleye, Commissioner for Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, says many parts of Nigeria’s power transmission network are outdated and require substantial investment for upgrades and maintenance.
Ogunleye disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, while reacting to the frequent grid collapses that plagued the country in 2024.
NAN reports that the country’s national grid collapsed 14 times between January and December 2024.
Ogunleye pointed out that the collapses were partly due to insufficient funding, which hampered the execution of critical infrastructure projects.
He also noted that delays in acquiring right-of-way for new transmission lines, as well as issues like vandalism and theft of transmission equipment, disrupt power supply and escalate operational costs.
To enhance the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) capacity and efficiency in 2025, Ogunleye emphasised the need for prioritising investment in grid expansion and modernisation.
He also recommended the implementation of advanced grid automation technologies to improve system reliability and efficiency.
The commissioner added that the Nigerian power sector faced numerous challenges in 2024, which impacted the reliability and affordability of electricity.
He specifically cited unreliable gas supply to gas-fired power plants as a major issue affecting the power value chain.
Looking ahead to 2025, Ogunleye proposed a combination of technological and community-based solutions to improve the security of critical power infrastructure.He suggested deploying advanced surveillance systems, such as AI-powered CCTV cameras, to monitor infrastructure and detect suspicious activity.
He suggested deploying advanced surveillance systems, such as AI-powered CCTV cameras, to monitor infrastructure and detect suspicious activity.
Source: PM News
