Overview of Ancillary Services in the Nigerian Power Sector

An overview of the ancillary services in the Nigerian power sector is provided in this work. These services are essential in the power system because they are additional services required by the grid during critical times to enable the power grid to operate in a stable, safe, and reliable manner. The ancillary services provided as stipulated in the Grid Code are black start, frequency control, operating reserves, and voltage control. The System Operator procures the relevant ancillary service depending on the requirement of the grid at a particular time. The paper further presents some ways of improving the viability of ancillary services for the energy grid of Nigeria. These include making incentives more attractive for suppliers of ancillary services, utilizing more hydroelectric power plants for generation and load balancing, integrating distributed generation to provide support to the reactive power, and making necessary investments in the grid.