The Federal Government has begun construction of a new National Control Centre for the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO in Osogbo, Osun State, replacing a 64-year-old facility with a modern system designed to strengthen the reliability and resilience of Nigeria’s electricity grid.
The project, whose groundbreaking was performed by Vice President Kashim Shettima and supported by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, is expected to improve how operators monitor the national grid, respond to disturbances and coordinate available generation and transmission capacity.
Representing the Vice President at the ceremony, his Senior Special Assistant, Legal, said reliable electricity remained central to the government’s economic agenda, describing power supply as critical to manufacturers, small businesses, hospitals, schools and job creation.
He said the National Control Centre was central to protecting grid reliability, adding that Nigeria could not operate a modern interconnected electricity system with outdated infrastructure.
Tegbe said the new centre would give NISO improved visibility of the national grid and enable faster responses to emerging faults and system disturbances.
According to him, the facility will integrate Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), large-format displays and analytics to help operators identify developing faults, plan preventive maintenance and maximise existing generation and transmission capacity.
The Minister said the centre would also strengthen the integration of renewable energy and improve Nigeria’s coordination within the West African Power Pool, while providing stronger physical and cybersecurity measures.
For electricity consumers and businesses, Tegbe said the expected benefit would be fewer avoidable outages and more dependable power supply.
He, however, noted that improved grid control alone would not resolve all electricity supply challenges, stressing the need for adequate gas feedstock, properly maintained transmission infrastructure and distribution networks capable of delivering available electricity to end users.
NISO Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, said the facility would improve the operator’s visibility of the national grid, strengthen coordination and enable faster, better-informed responses to system disturbances.
He said upgraded telemetry, SCADA and automatic metering would provide better data for operational decisions and market settlement, while strengthening the security and resilience of electricity supply.
Mohammed said the new centre would also equip NISO to meet the technical requirements of the West African power system, adding that the organisation was developing the skilled personnel required to operate the facility to international standards.
The groundbreaking was witnessed by NISO’s Board and Management, members of the National Assembly Committees on Power, representatives of electricity distribution companies, the Osun State Government, industry stakeholders and community leaders.