The Federal Government has pledged to intensify investment in electricity transmission infrastructure as part of efforts to improve power supply and reduce persistent blackouts across the country.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, made this known on Tuesday in Lagos while commissioning upgraded transmission facilities at the Alausa and Lekki transmission substations.
The projects include a new 1x100MVA, 132/33kV transformer at the Alausa Transmission Substation and additional transformers at the Lekki 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation.
Tegbe said the Federal Government remained committed to investing across the electricity value chain, particularly in areas with major industrial and economic activities.
He said investments would cover critical transmission corridors in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt, among other parts of the country.
“Again, like I said earlier in the day, I will conclude with a clear assurance. The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains very firmly committed to the transformation of the Nigerian electricity sector,” Tegbe said.
The minister added that the government would continue to support investments in transmission infrastructure, particularly in locations where improved electricity supply could stimulate industrial production, investment and employment.
Tegbe’s declaration came a day after he announced that the Federal Government was targeting the capacity to wheel 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December.
He also disclosed that the 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 substation, the minister said the government would continue expanding transmission capacity to match the rapid growth of the area.
“Lekki axis, as I mentioned, is one of the most consequential growth corridors in Lagos and increasingly in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the corridor has experienced sustained residential, commercial and industrial expansion, resulting in increasing demand for electricity.
Tegbe said the government would therefore prioritise electricity investments in areas where additional power could support economic activity and unlock greater value.
He also called on electricity distribution companies to complement investments in transmission infrastructure by upgrading their own networks and ensuring that additional bulk electricity reached consumers.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, said the Alausa project had increased the substation’s capacity by 70MVA.
He explained that 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 would provide more stable and reliable electricity to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and surrounding communities through the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
According to him, the project would also increase the volume of bulk electricity that TCN could transmit to distribution load centres.
“Beyond serving the immediate community, this upgrade meaningfully increases the quantum of bulk power that TCN can wheel to distribution load centers nationwide,” he said.
Abdulaziz said the project was executed by Shanghai Electric Ltd under a World Bank-funded initiative that commenced in January 2021.
At the Lekki substation, TCN commissioned additional transformation capacity comprising a 300MVA, 330/132kV transformer and two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers.
The upgrade increased transformation capacity at the 132/33kV level from 120MVA to 240MVA, while the broader project is designed to double capacity at the higher transformation level.
Tegbe said further investments would be required as electricity demand continues to rise along the Lekki corridor.
“So we won’t stop at doubling capacity; we will have to have another substation on this axis very soon,” he said.
The minister said similar interventions would be pursued in other parts of Lagos and across the country to improve the reliability and capacity of the national transmission network.
The latest projects form part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure, improve the transmission of available generation and ultimately reduce the impact of power shortages on households and businesses.