Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has unveiled a new Health and Safety Code as part of renewed efforts to reduce accidents, strengthen regulatory compliance and improve operational safety across Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
The Commission announced the new code at the opening of its first biannual Health, Safety and Environment, HSE, meeting for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, held in Abuja, where health, safety and performance managers from Generation Companies, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and Distribution Companies, DisCos, reviewed industry safety performance and mapped out strategies to curb accidents.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of Technical Regulation Division at NERC, Engr. Abu Kadiri, urged operators to immediately begin implementing the new code by sensitising employees within their organisations.
Kadiri said the Commission was intensifying accident reduction initiatives to improve safety performance across the electricity industry and ensure stricter compliance with technical and operational standards.
Also speaking, NERC’s Head of Health, Safety and Environment, Dr. Jonathan Okoronkwo, identified the protection of critical electricity infrastructure as a major component of the Commission’s safety strategy.
He stressed that sustained stakeholder sensitisation against vandalism of electricity infrastructure remains critical to protecting lives, reducing system disruptions and ensuring reliable electricity supply nationwide.
According to him, safeguarding power installations is essential to improving the resilience and stability of Nigeria’s electricity network.
The three-day meeting featured technical presentations and deliberations on significant industry incidents, safety compliance, implementation of HSE budgets, accident prevention strategies, and legal issues relating to accident investigation and regulatory enforcement.
NERC noted that the biannual HSE meeting serves as a strategic platform for electricity industry operators to review safety performance, exchange best practices and strengthen a proactive safety culture across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to working with GenCos, TCN and DisCos to improve health and safety standards, reduce operational risks and enhance the reliability of electricity supply through stronger regulatory oversight and industry collaboration.
