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Surviving NEPA: Operations Strategies for Unreliable Power Supply

Said M19/11/20251 min read

Surviving NEPA: Operations Strategies for Unreliable Power Supply

How to Keep Your Nigerian Business Running When the Lights Go Out

The question isn't "if" the power will fail—it's "how will your business survive when it does?"

Map Your Power Reality First

Before buying generators and inverters, understand your actual power patterns. Track for two weeks:

  • How many hours of NEPA daily (morning/afternoon/night)

  • How long outages typically last

  • Your peak business hours vs. power availability

This data determines your entire strategy. If you get 4 hours of power at night but your business runs 9am-5pm, you need different solutions than someone with random 2-hour daily outages.

The Three-Tier Power Backup Strategy

Tier 1: Essential Operations (Critical - Must Never Stop) What absolutely cannot stop? POS machines, refrigeration for products, security systems, customer-facing operations. These get your primary backup: generator or high-capacity inverter.

Small generator (2.5-5 KVA): ₦150,000-₦400,000. Fuel cost: ₦5,000-₦15,000 daily for 8-hour runtime. Expensive, but sometimes necessary.

Inverter + batteries: ₦200,000-₦800,000 depending on capacity. Quieter, no fuel costs, but limited runtime (2-6 hours typically). Better for offices and retail.

Tier 2: Important But Flexible (Can Wait or Adapt) Laptops, phones, lighting, fans—these can run on smaller power banks, charged during NEPA hours. Staff can also work on battery power and sync when power returns.

Tier 3: Nice to Have (Reschedule or Eliminate) Air conditioning, heavy printing, intensive manufacturing processes—schedule these exclusively during NEPA hours when possible.

Operational Scheduling Around Power

Time-block your operations:

  • Heavy tasks (manufacturing, bulk processing, equipment-intensive work) during confirmed NEPA hours

  • Customer-facing operations on backup power

  • Admin work and computer tasks on battery power

  • Charging all devices overnight or whenever NEPA appears

Batch your power-dependent work: Instead of printing invoices throughout the day, batch print during NEPA hours. Process bulk payments when power is stable. Cook/prepare products when you have reliable electricity.

The Mobile-First Operations Advantage

Design operations that work on phone batteries, not plugged-in computers:

  • Use mobile apps instead of desktop software where possible

  • WhatsApp Business runs on phones with 5% battery

  • Mobile POS terminals last 8+ hours on one charge

  • Cloud-based tools accessible from any charged device

Train staff to work mobile. When NEPA fails mid-task, they can continue on phones instead of waiting for generator startup.

Hidden Power Costs to Control

Generator fuel isn't your only power expense:

  • Equipment damage from power surges (get surge protectors - ₦5,000-₦15,000)

  • Battery replacement every 2-3 years (₦50,000-₦200,000)

  • Lost productivity during power transitions (5-10 minutes per outage adds up)

  • Customer frustration when services stop suddenly

Calculate your true monthly power cost: NEPA bills + generator fuel + equipment maintenance + lost sales during outages. This number might shock you—and justify better backup investments.

Your Action Plan This Week

  1. Track your power availability patterns for 7 days

  2. Classify your operations into three tiers (Essential/Important/Nice to Have)

  3. Price appropriate backup solutions for Tier 1 operations only

  4. Implement power-independent alternatives where possible (mobile, battery, rescheduling)

  5. Train staff on power failure protocols

Nigerian businesses don't fail because of NEPA. They fail because they didn't plan for NEPA. Plan differently.

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