Causes of Power Generation Instability in Transcorp and Sapele Power Stations, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Power generation instability remains a persistent constraint on electricity reliability and socio economic development in Nigeria. This study investigated the causes of power generation instability as perceived by engineers and technologists at Transcorp Power Plc, Ughelli, and Sapele Power Station, Delta State. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 126 engineers and technologists, from which 108 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected with a researcher-developed Causes of Power Generation Instability Questionnaire (CPGIQ), validated by experts in electrical/electronic engineering and educational measurement. The instrument recorded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.812. Mean, standard deviation and rank order were used to answer the research questions, while independent samples t-tests were used to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. At Sapele Power Station, respondents identified ageing generation plants (M = 4.54), low power generation (M = 4.49), poor government policy (M = 4.41), obsolete generating equipment (M = 4.38), poor funding (M = 4.36) and poor maintenance (M = 4.33) among the leading causes, with an aggregate mean of 4.08. At Transcorp Power Plc, poor funding (M = 4.55), poor government policy (M = 4.43), low power generation (M = 4.35), inadequate modern communication and monitoring technologies (M = 4.16), and weak staff capacity-building programmes (M = 3.98) were the highest-rated factors, with an aggregate mean of 3.68. Engineers and technologists generally held similar views; only the government-policy item at Sapele showed a significant difference (t = −2.229, p = .032). The study concludes that generation instability is multidimensional, requiring coordinated action on plant rehabilitation, maintenance, financing, fuel security, digital monitoring, technical capacity and policy stability.