- The Federal Government says it will intensify investment in electricity infrastructure to improve power supply nationwide.
- Power Minister Joseph Tegbe says Nigeria is targeting the capacity to wheel 6,000MW of electricity by December.
- Newly commissioned projects in Alausa and Lekki are expected to increase transmission capacity and improve supply to consumers.
The Federal Government has pledged to intensify investment in electricity infrastructure across the country as part of efforts to improve power supply and tackle persistent blackouts.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, made this known on Tuesday in Lagos while commissioning major transmission projects at the Alausa and Lekki transmission substations.
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The projects include a 1x100MVA, 132/33kV power transformer at the Alausa Transmission Substation and additional transformers at the Lekki 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation.
Tegbe said the Federal Government would continue investing in critical transmission infrastructure, particularly in areas with significant industrial and economic activity.
He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to transforming Nigeria’s electricity sector and would support investments across the entire electricity value chain.
“We’ll continue to support investment across the electricity value chain. We’ll invest in critical transmission infrastructure, both in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna-Kano corridor, Enugu, Port Harcourt, across the entire nation, especially where industry hubs sit,” Tegbe said.
The minister’s statement came a day after he announced that the government was targeting the capacity to wheel 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December.
He had also disclosed that the Federal Government was targeting the commissioning of 20 transmission projects before the end of the year as part of efforts to strengthen the national grid.
Speaking at the Lekki project commissioning, Tegbe said the government would continue expanding transmission capacity to meet the rapid growth in the area.
He described the Lekki corridor as one of the most important growth areas in Lagos and increasingly in Nigeria, citing its expanding residential, commercial and industrial activities.
“Lekki axis, as I mentioned, is one of the most consequential growth corridors in Lagos and increasingly in Nigeria. It’s a corridor experiencing sustained residential, commercial, and industrial expansion, and it represents precisely the kind of location where electricity demand grows alongside investments and population growth,” he said.
Tegbe added that the government’s investment strategy would increasingly prioritise areas where reliable electricity could support production, investment, employment and economic growth.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, said the Alausa project would increase the substation’s capacity by 70MVA.
According to him, the newly installed 1x100MVA, 132/33kV transformer replaced an existing 1x30MVA transformer, raising the total capacity of the substation from 135MVA to 205MVA.
“This significant upgrade enhances the substation’s ability to serve its growing load demand,” Abdulaziz said.
He added that the project, executed by Shanghai Electric Ltd under a World Bank-funded initiative that commenced in January 2021, would provide more stable and reliable electricity to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and its environs through the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
Abdulaziz said the upgrade would also increase the volume of bulk electricity that TCN could wheel to distribution load centres, thereby strengthening grid stability and improving electricity delivery.
At the Lekki substation, TCN commissioned additional transformation capacity comprising a 300MVA, 330/132kV transformer and two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers.
The project increased capacity at the 132/33kV level from 120MVA to 240MVA, while the wider upgrade is designed to double capacity at the higher transformation level.
Tegbe said similar electricity infrastructure challenges in other parts of Lagos would also receive government attention.
He further urged electricity distribution companies to complement Federal Government investments in transmission infrastructure by upgrading their own networks and ensuring that additional bulk power reaches consumers.
The government expects the continued expansion of transmission capacity to help reduce bottlenecks, improve grid reliability and support economic activities in areas experiencing rapid population and industrial growth.
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