Overwhelmed by the perennial collapse of the national grid and attendant economic losses to the country, the Federal Government is considering the establishment of a super grid.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu dropped the hint on Tuesday at a Press Conference in Abuja.
Chief Adelabu said, beyond the current grid revitalisation projects, the government is working on establishing a super grid that would be a failover option to the existing grid.
He explained that given the weakness, the dilapidation, the obsolescence of the existing grid, the nation needs a backup grid so as to reduce the incidences of power outage in the country.
The Minister informed that there is a memo with President Bola Tinubu, and he is giving full support for the establishment of the western and eastern super grid.
“If we have this super grid, which is what exists in advanced countries, it will reduce the absolute reliance on the single national grid. And this is receiving support from Mr. President. When we have this aspect of approval, we go to the Federal Executive Council and get the approval and we start this.
“And we’ve got investors and financiers for this project. And that will bring a final end to grid disturbances and grid collapse. This will ensure that we also create alternative routes.
“It won’t be just a single route to transmit power to a particular location. There will be alternative routes once we have the super grid. And the main thing is that, number one, it costs money.
“It costs millions of dollars. We all know what it costs to even buy a single 60 MVA transformer today. We know what it costs to install even one kilometer of a 132 KV line or 330 KV lines.
“So, this involves money. Number two, it also takes time. It cannot be done overnight. So, we solicit your patience. We solicit for your understanding. And we solicit for your confidence, to believe in us,” he said.
On the vandalised shiroro-Mando transmission line, the Minister announced that the ministry now has the full support of the National Security Adviser with the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff to provide adequate security and ensure that the line is restored within a matter of days.
He disclosed that the ministry has decided to look for alternative ways of restoring power to the north, which would take two to three days, assuring that before the end of this week, power will be restored to the north.
