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, to strengthen the reliability and resilience of the national electricity grid.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who performed the groundbreaking ceremony,
said reliable electricity remained central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Legal Matters, Bashir Maidugu, Shettima
described power as a critical foundation for economic growth, industrial production, healthcare and job creation.
He said the existing National Control Centre, which has served the country for 64 years, could no longer meet the demands of a modern interconnected power system.
“The National Control Centre is where that reliability is protected, and Nigeria cannot run a modern, interconnected grid with the tools of yesterday,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the new facility would give NISO real-time visibility of the national grid and enable operators to respond faster to faults and other system disturbances.
He said the centre would deploy integrated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), large-format displays and advanced analytics to help operators detect emerging faults, plan preventive maintenance and optimise available generation and transmission capacity.
According to him, the facility will also strengthen the integration of renewable energy, improve Nigeria’s coordination with the West African Power Pool and enhance physical and cybersecurity across the power system.
Tegbe said the ultimate benefit for electricity consumers and businesses would be fewer avoidable outages and more dependable supply.
He, however, noted that a modern control centre alone could not resolve all challenges in the electricity sector, stressing the need for adequate gas supply, properly maintained transmission infrastructure and efficient distribution networks.
On his part, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, said the new centre would improve the operator’s visibility of the grid, strengthen coordination and support faster, data-driven responses to system disturbances.
Mohammed said upgraded telemetry, SCADA and automatic metering would provide better data for grid management and market settlement while improving the security and resilience of electricity supply.
He added that the facility would equip NISO to meet the technical demands of the West African power system.
Mohammed also said NISO was developing the skilled workforce required to operate the facility to international standards, stressing that technology alone could not run the grid.
