In preparation for an effective deployment of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/Emergency Management System (EMS) and telecommunication project, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), recently held a one-day workshop for all stakeholders in the power sector.

Speaking at the event which held at NERC’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, Chairman of the Commission, Engr. Sanusi Garba, lamented that challenges that have marred the successful implementation of SCADA over the years have led to frequent disturbances of the nation’s power grid.

Engr. Garba who was represented by Dr. Chidi Ike, Commissioner, Engineering and Performance Monitoring, reiterated the need for a functional SCADA/EMS in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).  

He maintained that lack of SCADA/EMS has hampered the visibility, control, real-time exchange of information among users of transmission system and reliable event recorders that would have aided the determination of specific locations and times when system disturbances were initiated.

Continuing, he added that with the successful implementation of SCADA, Remote Terminal Units (RTU’s) will be provided in all Control rooms, off-takers’ site and the Generator’s Control rooms to ensure secured, timely and seamless transmission of signal to and from the National Control Center (NCC), in compliance with the System Operators (SO) requirements as stipulated in the Grid Code.

He expressed optimism that the workshop would frontally address SCADA challenges even as he enjoined all stakeholders to actively participate and contribute in the effective deployment and operations of the SCADA/EMS systems in order to develop a more stable grid in NESI.

On her part, the General Manger, System Operations (SO), Engr. Mrs. Nafisat Ali called for the cooperation of all stakeholders to come up with ideas that would lead to the successful implementation of the SCADA project.

She revealed that the non-implementation of SCADA has led TCN engineers to provide a temporary stop gap measure using IoT VPN technology to help bridge the gap in control room visibility.

Ali urged all stakeholders and project consultants to see the workshop as an avenue to intimate themselves with the fundamentals of SCADA, study what led to its failure in the past, and proffer solutions that will lead to the successful implementation of the new SCADA.

The General Manager emphasized that “SCADA will ensure reliable and secure operation of Nigeria's transmission grid, enable TCN to manage its grid assets, respond to outages and emergencies, maintain power system stability, transmit real-time data from various devices and sensors installed throughout the grid, amongst others”.