INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE AS A CONTRIBUTING ELEMENT TO NATIONAL GRID COLLAPSE IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

An electrical grid, also known as an electricity network, is a complex system of interconnected infrastructure that facilitates the transmission and distribution of electricity from power providers to end consumers (Dennis, 2018). Electrical grids comprise power stations, electrical substations for voltage conversion, electric power transmission for long-distance power transport, and electric power distribution to end-users. During the final stage, the voltage is once again reduced to the necessary service voltage. Power stations are generally constructed in proximity to energy sources and at a distance from densely populated regions. Electrical grids exhibit varying sizes and have the capability to include entire countries or continents. The hierarchy of power grids ranges from micro grids, to wide area synchronous grids, and finally to super grids (Nse, 2019).

Grids are typically synchronous, which means that all distribution zones operate using three-phase alternating current (AC) frequencies that are synchronised, resulting in voltage swings occurring at almost the same time. This enables the distribution of alternating current (AC) electricity across a given region, linking power providers to end-users. Grids have the capability to enhance the efficiency of electricity markets (Nse, 2019).. The integrated transmission and distribution network constitutes a crucial component of energy distribution, sometimes referred to as the "power grid" in North America, or simply "the grid." The network in the United Kingdom, India, Tanzania, Myanmar, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Nigeria is referred to as the National Grid. As of 2016, around 1.4 billion individuals globally lacked access to an electricity grid, despite its ubiquitous presence. (Chen et al., 2021) The proliferation of electrification is resulting in a growing population of individuals who have access to grid electricity. In 2017, approximately 840 million individuals, primarily in Africa, accounting for roughly 11% of the global population, lacked access to electricity from the main power grid. This number decreased from 1.2 billion in 2010. The user's text is (Wahab, 2019)

Nigeria has consistently faced challenges related to power transmission. Nigeria, as the most populous nation in Africa, encounters challenges arising from its fast-growing industrial sector and increasing population. These factors continuously burden the country's electrical infrastructure (Aliyu & Amadu, 2017). The socio-economic growth and sustainability of any nation heavily rely on the availability of high-quality infrastructure services, with a particular emphasis on electricity (Amadi, 2015). Nigeria's current electric power transmission infrastructure suffers from multiple significant issues, resulting in inefficiencies, frequent blackouts, and power grid collapse (Fabiyi et al., 2016; Ayamolowo et al., 2019).

In the past nine years, Nigeria has had more than 200 instances of its national energy infrastructure collapsing, which has frequently led to outages in the electric grid and prolonged periods without electricity (Ekeng et al., 2024). The Nigerian Power Sector encounters complex and deeply ingrained difficulties that have persisted throughout time, necessitating a thorough investigation of their underlying causes. The issue of inadequate finance is continuously emphasised in several research (Remteng et al., 2021), indicating its widespread nature. 

The main factor contributing to this financial limitation is the reliance on the Federal government as the exclusive provider of funds. The funding structure, which is centralised, leads to a lack of resources for essential infrastructure upgrades, maintenance, and expansion projects, so impeding the overall development of the industry. The presence of outdated and decaying infrastructure in transmission substations is a persistent obstacle that greatly impedes the efficient transmission of power (Remteng et al., 2021). The origins of this difficulty are dual in nature: firstly, there has been a historical deficiency in investment and focus on infrastructure maintenance. Furthermore, the lack of a proactive approach to update and enhance deteriorating equipment is a key factor in the continued existence of old infrastructure issues in Nigeria. 

 The failure to systematically address these factors has resulted in a persistent deterioration of the overall health of the power infrastructure. The tense relationship between the Federal Government and important players, such as foreign oil companies and Independent Power Producers (IPP), is identified as another significant obstacle (Remteng et al., 2021). The root of this problem can be attributed to inadequate communication, collaboration, and common vision among various institutions. Inadequate coordination and alignment of interests pose obstacles to the creation and execution of cohesive policies, thereby hindering the advancement of the sector. This study aims to analyze how infrastructure failure contributes to the collapse of the national grid in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The generation, transmission, and distribution phases of the electricity industry are interconnected by the national grid. Nigeria has had multiple instances of grid failures caused by the grid's failure to quickly adjust to different system dynamics. Despite Nigeria's burgeoning economy, the power infrastructure in the country has failed to adequately supply energy to meet the demands of both families and industries (Amadi & Ekeng, 2024). The unreliable distribution of power in Nigeria has had a substantial negative impact on both industrial and residential development, especially given the country's continuously growing population. In Nigeria, power supply facilities are deteriorating despite the implementation of new institutional arrangements and network designs. Factors that have an impact or influence on the situation include:

Rafiu (2022) identifies ageing equipment as a significant reason in grid breakdown. Rafiu (202) argues that ageing equipment exhibits elevated failure rates, resulting in customer interruption rates that have adverse effects on the economy and society. Additionally, older assets and facilities incur increased expenses for inspection maintenance and subsequent repair and restoration. According to Remteng et al. (2021), an obsolete system layout is identified as a contributing factor to frequent grid failures. In older locations, the need for additional substation sites and rights-of-way is significant, but these cannot be obtained in the current area. As a result, existing facilities that are inadequate are used instead. outmoded engineering methods - conventional tools used for power distribution planning and engineering are inadequate in dealing with present challenges posed by outdated equipment, outmoded system configurations, and contemporary deregulated loading levels. Patrick (2022). Ancient cultural significance The adherence to traditional cultural values, such as the planning, engineering, and operation of systems using concepts and methods that were effective in a vertically integrated industry, worsens the issue in a deregulated industry. Sterling (2023).

In a research conducted by James in 2023, it was determined that the Nigeria National grid is susceptible to failures caused by faults. This text emphasises the attributes of the NNG, such as its feeble and strained condition caused by heavily burdened lines, lengthy lines, and radial networks. The investigation revealed that the incidence of collapse caused by faults was 86% in 2018, 83% in 2019, and 96% in 2020. The mean rate of system breakdown caused by faults during the course of the three-year period was roughly 88%. This suggests that the NNG is especially vulnerable to voltage instability. The predominant cause of the high occurrence of system failure can be mostly ascribed to technological issues within the network. The state of the power system equipment and the overall network performance suggests the existence of technical challenges. Amadi & Ekeng (2024) identified several technical challenges in the power system. These challenges include outdated and obsolete power system equipment, insufficient compensation equipment, faulty and weak protection system, a weak network leading to random tripping of the lines, power generation shortage due to increasing consumer demand, weak wheeling power, and a poor maintenance culture. 

Amadi & Ekeng (2024) argue that the National grid's failure can be attributed to Nigeria's power system's reluctance to update its infrastructure to keep pace with modern technological breakthroughs. This involves integrating SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), and IT applications to create a SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) system. The absence of enhancements results in grid failures since the system is unable of effectively monitoring and detecting defects in order to promptly implement measures for predictive and preventive maintenance. Imoh (2024) supports this claim by noting that in October 2023, there were two instances of system failure, one of which was caused by the explosion of a capacitive voltage transformer (CVT) at Kanji power plant. According to Imoh (2024), the avoidance of such calamities can be achieved by outfitting our systems with sufficient intelligence to recognise and anticipate mistakes. Therefore, the necessity for doing this investigation arises.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The primary objective of this study is to analyse infrastructure failure as a contributing element to national grid collapse in Nigeria. Specific objectives of this study are to:

Determine whether there is a significant relationship between adequate infrastructure and the effectiveness of national grid.

Determine the extent persistent infrastructure failures results to the collapse of the Nigerian national grid.

Assess the causes of infrastructure failures in the power sector of Nigeria.

Proffer practical strategies required to effectively mitigate frequent infrastructure failure and national grid collapse in Nigeria.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

Is there a significant relationship between adequate infrastructure and the effectiveness of national grid?

To what extent has persistent infrastructure failures results to the collapse of the Nigerian national grid?

What are the causes of infrastructure failures in the power sector of Nigeria?

What are the strategies required to effectively mitigate frequent infrastructure failure and national grid collapse in Nigeria?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypothesis will be validated in this study:

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between adequate infrastructure and the effectiveness of national grid.

Ho2: The extent persistent infrastructure failures result to the collapse of the Nigerian national grid is low.

Ho3: There are no causes of infrastructure failures in the power sector of Nigeria. 

Ho4: There are no practical strategies required to effectively mitigate frequent infrastructure failure and national grid collapse in Nigeria.

1.6 Significance of the study

Infrastructure Failure as a Contributing Element to National Grid Collapse in Nigeria" is of paramount importance. It addresses a critical aspect of grid stability by focusing on infrastructure deficiencies. This study will serve as a baseline for power sector, government and policy makers, students and scholars.

The study's findings would have a substantial positive impact the Power sector as it will identify specific infrastructure failures that lead to grid collapses, enabling targeted interventions to fortify these weak points. Also, Insights from the study can guide better maintenance and upgrade practices, ensuring that critical infrastructure components are in optimal condition.

The findings of the study will help the government and policy makers in providing data-driven insights that can inform better policy decisions and regulatory frameworks for the power sector; it will also assist in identifying weaknesses in the current regulatory environment, the study will suggest improvements that enhance the enforcement of standards and practices aimed at preventing grid collapses.

Finally, this study will also serve as a reference material to students and researchers for further studies and future research.

1.7 Scope of the study

Broadly, this study focus is to critically analyse infrastructure failure as a contributing element to national grid collapse in Nigeria. Empirically, this study seeks to determine whether there is a significant relationship between adequate infrastructure and the effectiveness of national grid, determine the extent persistent infrastructure failures results to the collapse of the Nigerian national grid.

Further, this study will focus on assessing the causes of infrastructure failures in the power sector of Nigeria, and it also seeks to Proffer practical strategies required to effectively mitigate frequent infrastructure failure and national grid collapse in Nigeria.

This study will be carried out in Nigeria.

1.8 Limitations of the study

As is customary in all human undertakings, the researchers encountered modest constraints during the investigation. A major limitation of the study is the researcher's financial constraint, as they are a full-time student without any means of income to sustain themselves.

Another limitation was the lack of extensive literature on the subject, as there is limited data available on infrastructure failure as a contributing element to national grid collapse in Nigeria. Consequently, a significant amount of time and effort was necessary to locate the appropriate resources, books, or information, as well as to gather data. Also, this study is constrained by its small sample size and narrow geographic scope, as it just focuses on Nigeria. Consequently, the results of this study are not applicable for generalization, thereby leaving room for other research.

Furthermore, the researcher faced a time constraint due to the need to do this research while also fulfilling obligations such as attending lectures and other educational activities.

1.9 Definition of terms

Voltage collapse: Voltage collapse is the partial or complete loss of end users' or customers' access to the electrical power grid

Power outage: an interruption or failure in the supply of power, especially electricity. the period during which power is lost

National grid: The national grid is an interconnecting system that comprises all generation stations, transmission substations, and distribution substations.