REPLAN: Multi-Region Power System Planning Approach for Nigeria

Abstract

The Nigerian power system is characterized by huge gap between supply and demand. With electricity demand projected to increase with the population, growing at an annual average of 2.5%, the imbalance between generation and demand is bound to persist unless urgent strategy planning of the generation and transmission infrastructures is pursued. The REPLAN project proposes multi-region power system planning approach to help deliver insight into the long-term development of Nigerian power sector. REPLAN utilizes the regional energy resources and load demand to optimally fashion out generation capacity mix for inter-connected regional grids, capable of operating independently for Nigeria. A multi-region optimization model is developed to investigate the long-term development of the regional grids over a timeframe from 2015 to 2050. The results of the simulation experiments conducted on different scenarios show the suitability of the developed model for predicting the optimal pathways for inter-regional grids for Nigeria.