NISO calls for stronger planning of hydroelectric generation to increase grid reliability

NISO calls for stronger planning of hydroelectric generation to increase grid reliability

Goodness Ekpang

Jebba (Core Reporters) The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has called for greater coordination between hydropower generation companies, water resources authorities, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), distribution companies and other stakeholders to improve the availability of hydropower generation and strengthen the reliability of Nigeria’s power grid.

NISO Managing Director/CEO Engr Abdu Bello Mohammed made the call at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Hydropower Generation Planning Meeting, held recently at the Jebba Hydropower Station, Niger State.

He said the meeting was designed to collectively assess the performance, availability, operational constraints, maintenance requirements, water resource prospects and generation projections of Nigeria’s hydropower fleet, with the aim of developing an integrated generation plan for the safe, reliable and economical operation of the national grid.

The NISO Chief Executive described hydropower as a strategic component of Nigeria’s electricity supply sector, stressing that its value extends beyond power generation to critical grid support functions such as frequency regulation, provision of reserves, voltage support and system restoration.

He particularly highlighted the importance of the governor’s response, saying that NISO has intensified enforcement of compliance with the governor’s free audit through field inspections, conditional waivers with fixed expiration dates and a penalty framework linked to monthly penalizable capacity, in line with the regulatory directives of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

According to him, the aim is to ensure that the flexibility declared by power plants translates into demonstrated and contractually reliable operational capabilities.

“Each hydroelectric unit at your various facilities has a governor response profile that NISO can see. That visibility should inform how we plan together, not just how we enforce afterward,” he said.

He explained that hydropower generation planning cannot be reduced to determining the number of megawatts available in a particular period, but must take into account reservoir levels and inflows, water releases, seasonal hydrological conditions, dam management requirements, unit availability, planned and forced outages, transmission capacity, demand patterns and reserve requirements.

The NISO chief also highlighted the need to bridge the gap between planning and actual implementation, stressing that accurate information, equipment availability, effective communication and operational discipline are essential to the success of any generation plan.

It identified timely hydrologic forecasts, water availability information, generation availability statements, maintenance and outage schedules, unit operating limits, reservoir information, transmission outage data, generation forecasts, and real-time communication between generating stations and the system operator as critical inputs.

He further noted that Nigeria’s evolving energy mix, including the increase in renewable and distributed energy resources, would require greater operational flexibility from the system operator.

According to him, hydropower, especially plants with demonstrable compliance with regulator performance, would become increasingly valuable as variable renewable generation expands.

“This highlights the need to preserve, rehabilitate, modernize and optimize our existing hydropower resources, while pursuing the development of vital new hydropower resources,” he said.

On the reliability of existing assets, Eng. NISO. Abdu Mohammed said the energy a station can provide is determined not only by installed capacity but also by available capacity and operational readiness.

He therefore urged manufacturing companies to strengthen preventive and predictive maintenance practices, properly coordinate planned maintenance with system requirements, and minimize forced outages.

He added that where gaps in compliance occurred, NISO preferred a structured, time-limited path back to full compliance rather than isolated punitive action.

The NISO chief further revealed that the organization is advancing its modern control center and operational intelligence systems program to enhance operational visibility and improve the use of energy management systems (EMS), SCADA, Internet of Things (IoT), state estimation and contingency analysis across the generation fleet.

It said the initiative will support more data-driven, predictive, scenario-based and risk-informed generation planning by integrating hydrological data, reservoir levels, inflow forecasts, unit availability, generation capacity, demand forecasts, transmission constraints and real-time system conditions.

He called for stronger collaboration between industry stakeholders, urging participants to critically examine historical performance, identify actual constraints limiting hydroelectric production and agree on measurable actions.

At the end of the meeting, he said stakeholders should produce an implementable framework covering expected hydroelectric generation profiles, water resource availability, maintenance and outage schedules, generation unit availability, governor response compliance, coordination with thermal and renewable generation, reserve requirements and transmission constraints.

It also called for the meeting’s outcomes to be included in a log of monitored actions, with clearly assigned responsibilities and timescales for implementation.

“The success of this meeting should be measured not by the quality of the presentations given here, but by the quality of the decisions made and the extent to which those decisions result in improved generation availability, increased grid security and increased electricity supply to Nigerians,” he said.

He reaffirmed NISO’s commitment to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria’s hydropower resources are effectively integrated into the national generation mix and optimally utilized for national development.