In an effort to scale up electricity access and pave the way for a sustainable power sector in Nigeria, Schneider Electric has partnered with Ikeja Electric (IE) to improve electricity distribution in the latter’s network.
In a memo pasted on its website the company said the collaboration would address common problems faced by electricity distribution companies in the country, namely the lack of traceability when faults occur on the network, leading to extended period of outages.
Schneider said the partnership is the first step toward setting up a digitized grid, starting with smart transformers in the country. The company director, marketing and access to energy, Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Mojola Ola, said it would enable the remote monitoring and control of the grid.
He said this would improve the quality and reliability of the network, as well as reducing operational costs for the Disco. He said: “Our collaboration with Ikeja Electric reflects a true commitment from both parties to drive the digital transformation of the grid, which would result in greater efficiency and access to energy for the population.
“Instead of having reactive maintenance after a technical interruption, we offer a more proactive approach on the equipment as they can be set to trigger alerts for any issue on the network requiring attention, before downtime occurs.
“Even when faults do occur, because the network is smarter and connected to the cloud, they would have a quicker resolution time.”
In her comments, chief executive officer, Ikeja Disco, Mrs. Folake Soetan, said the partnership exemplifies Ikeja Electric’s desire to leverage innovation and technology to improve customer experience.
“It is driven largely with interest of customers at the heart of our business. We are delighted to partner with Schneider Electric on this project as it becomes imperative that we adopt a more strategic approach in managing our network.
“The introduction of smart distribution transformers will not only assist in drastically reducing downtime, but it will also further drive efficiency as we are able to better manage and maintain our network proactively.
“The digitization is in line with our mantra, Customer First, Technology Now,” Soetan said.
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