Schneider Electric, in an effort to scale up electricity access and pave the way for a sustainable power sector in Nigeria has partnered with Ikeja Electric (IE) to improve electricity distribution in its network.
The company made this known in a statement posted on its website and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
It 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.
According to Schneider, the partnership is the first step toward setting up a digitised grid, starting with smart transformers.
Mr Mojola Ola, Director, Marketing, Business Development & Access to Energy – Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric, said it would enable the remote monitoring and control of the grid.
Ola 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.”
Mrs Folake Soetan, Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Disco, said the partnership exemplifies Ikeja Electric’s desire to leverage innovation and technology to improve customer experience.
Soetan said: “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 digitisation is in line with our mantra, Customer First, Technology Now.”
(NAN)
