Two energy firms, Siemens AG and PE Energy Limited, a subsidiary of PANA Holdings, have launched a collaborative drive to modernise Nigeria’s electricity grid, aiming to tackle persistent challenges in stability, metering, and operational efficiency.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Siemens West Africa Regional Manager, Kofi Oppong, said the partnership will introduce the GridScale X platform, which provides smart meter validation, real-time billing, operational analytics, and AI-powered simulation tools to enhance grid performance and planning.

The move, he said, would address longstanding challenges in grid stability, metering accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Nigeria’s power sector has long been plagued by persistent challenges, leaving millions of households and businesses without reliable electricity.

Despite an installed generation capacity of over 13,000 megawatts, actual output often falls below 4,000–5,000MW due to constraints such as gas supply shortages, ageing infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks, and frequent grid collapses.

The unbundling and privatisation of the sector in 2013 were expected to improve efficiency and attract investment, but progress has been slow, with distribution companies struggling with liquidity issues, metering gaps, and high technical and commercial losses.

As a result, many Nigerians rely heavily on expensive and polluting alternatives like diesel and petrol generators.

Through its Centre of Excellence in Port Harcourt, PE Energy Limited said it would provide systems integration, commissioning, technical support, and lifecycle asset management services aligned with Nigeria’s local content framework.

Oppong identified ageing infrastructure, revenue assurance gaps, sustainable asset management, and metering data challenges as critical issues confronting the sector.

“This is about ensuring that adequate resources and capabilities exist in-country to support Nigeria’s growth in the power sector while maintaining operational stability”, he said.
Oppong stressed that local capacity development is central to the initiative.
He added: “Fulfilling local content requirements means faster response times, stronger integration capability within Nigeria, and long-term skills transfer.
“The end goal is for Nigerian engineers to operate and sustain the grid while retaining value within the country.”