The Federal Government has commenced construction of a new ultra-modern National Control Centre for the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) in Osogbo, Osun State, as part of efforts to strengthen the monitoring and management of Nigeria’s electricity grid.
The new facility will replace the existing 64-year-old control centre, which officials said no longer meets the technical demands of managing the country’s increasingly interconnected power grid. The groundbreaking ceremony was performed on Wednesday, with Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe in attendance.
Tegbe said the new centre would provide NISO with real-time visibility of activities across the national grid and enable operators to respond more quickly to faults and other system disturbances. He described the project as part of efforts to address underlying weaknesses affecting electricity supply and improve grid reliability.
When completed, the facility will feature an integrated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, large-format displays and advanced analytics. These technologies are expected to help operators identify developing faults, plan preventive maintenance and optimise available generation and transmission capacity.
The new control centre is also expected to improve responses to grid disturbances, support the integration of renewable energy and strengthen Nigeria’s coordination within the West African Power Pool. The project will include enhanced physical and cybersecurity measures, although officials noted that reliable electricity will also require adequate gas supply, properly maintained transmission infrastructure and effective distribution networks.
Daily Times
