By Merciful Omoba
The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, has issued an order mandating all electricity generation companies connected to the grid to implement Free Governor Control across their generating units, warning that non-compliance would attract heavy penalties, including disconnection from the grid.
The order, referenced NERC/2025/094 and signed on August 26, 2025, by the commission’s Vice-Chairman, Musiliu Oseni, and the Commissioner, Legal, Licensing & Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, will take effect on September 1, 2025.
In power generation, a governor is a control system that regulates the speed or output of a turbine or generator. Its primary function is to maintain a stable speed or frequency.
Free Governor Control is a mode of operation in power generation where the governor of a turbine or generator is allowed to freely adjust the output in response to changes in grid frequency. This control mode enables the generator to contribute to grid stability by automatically increasing or decreasing output to match demand and maintain frequency within acceptable limits.
It was ordered that any GenCo that fails to comply with the integration and activation of FGC on all generating units by November 30, 2025, shall be liable to a penalty of a prorated 10 per cent of the invoice associated with the defaulting generating unit, and any generating unit that records 90 consecutive days of FGC non-compliance shall be disconnected from the grid.
