Analysis of the Causes of Outages in the Distribution System of Lagos State, Nigeria

The distribution system is essential in the provision of electricity for all consumers. However, outages occasioned by faults are a major setback in ensuring a regular supply of electricity to consumers in a populous state like Lagos. This study analyses the outage causes, their cost, energy loss, and duration of outages experienced by electricity consumers in the distribution systems of Lagos State. The fault reports of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) were used for the analysis. The analysis revealed that the main causes of outages on the network are transient faults (356.78 occurrences per month) and jumper cuts (352.83 occurrences per month). The average monthly cost impacts of the outages on the network are estimated to be between ₦631m & ₦837m and ₦837m & ₦1.66b for the 11kV and 33kV networks of the State respectively. The average monthly energy lost due to outages on the network for the period under review is significant (100,415.34 MWh in total) while the average monthly duration of the outages is notably high (28,463.34 hours in total). To minimise outages and their impacts, faults should be cleared on time while the lines are patrolled and maintained regularly. The jumpers should be replaced with metal line taps or bi-metal line taps while intermediate poles are introduced in over-spanned lines to minimise transient fault on the network of the State.