By Dickson Pat
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, has imposed financial penalties on power generation companies ,GenCos, that fail to integrate their generating units into the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s ,TCN, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition/Energy Management System ,SCADA/EMS, by December 31, 2025.
According to the new order signed by NERC Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and Vice Chairman, Musiliu Oseni, GenCos that default on the integration timeline will pay a one per cent penalty of their total energy invoice for every month of non-compliance.
The order, which takes effect from May 22, 2025, was posted on the NERC’s website on June 18.
According to the commission, the penalty will be deducted during the monthly market settlement and paid into the Ancillary Service Account.
NERC stated that GenCos that fail to comply with the integration requirements or whose units cannot transmit real-time data and respond to supervisory control commands as stipulated in Sections 12.2 and 20.16 of the Grid Code risk disconnection from the national grid.
“Disconnected units will remain offline until certified fully compliant by the Nigerian Independent System Operator ,NISO.
“The integration process mandates GenCos to ensure real-time data transmission of key parameters, including Active Power ,MW, Reactive Power ,MVAR, Frequency ,Hz, Voltage ,kV, status of circuit breakers, and fault alarms.
“They must also provide compatible data acquisition systems, upgrade their communication infrastructure to meet TCN’s protocols, and complete testing with NISO by the December deadline.
“All grid-connected GenCos shall integrate all generating units in the plant onto the TCN SCADA/EMS by December 31, 2025″, the Order read.
The commission stated that GenCos will bear the cost of required upgrades and must grant NISO full access for remote monitoring and control.
