Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos during the commissioning of two new 100 megavolt-ampere, 132/33 kilovolt transformers at the Ijora Transmission Substation.
The target comes as Nigeria’s electricity generation currently hovers around 5,000MW, despite the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) reported wheeling capacity of about 8,500MW. The government’s plan, therefore, signals an intention to increase generation while simultaneously ensuring that the transmission network has sufficient capacity to evacuate and deliver the additional electricity.
Tegbe also announced plans to commission 20 transmission projects before the end of the year, describing the expansion of the transmission network as critical to resolving some of the structural challenges that have continued to affect the power sector.
“This is my second transmission project commissioning today, and we all agreed that before the end of the year, we should commission 20. The most important thing is to be able to wheel comfortably 6,000 megawatts before December. Will that happen?” he asked stakeholders, who responded in the affirmative.
FG Focuses on Reliable Delivery, Not Generation Alone
The minister stressed that increasing electricity generation would have limited impact if the national grid lacked the capacity to transmit available power to consumers.
“Let me put on record that the objective of this commitment is not just to generate more megawatts. The objective is to create a power system that can reliably deliver electricity to where it is needed, when it is needed, and at a quality and cost that supports economic activity,” he stated.
According to him, the government’s approach is focused on addressing weaknesses across the entire electricity value chain, from generation and transmission to distribution.
Tegbe said transmission infrastructure had historically been one of the major obstacles to improving electricity supply in Nigeria, noting that the country had at various times generated power that could not be fully evacuated because of limitations on the transmission network.
“For many years, transmission infrastructure has been one of the major constraints in our efforts to provide reliable electricity. We have generated electricity that cannot be adequately evacuated.
“We have had available generation constrained by transmission limitations, even though growing demand would have required corresponding improvement in transmission capacity. And we have inherited infrastructure that in several locations suffered from years of inadequate maintenance and delayed investment.
“This is not a criticism of the men and women who have worked within the system under difficult circumstances in the past. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of structural problems that we inherited and that we are solving now very decisively,” Tegbe said.
Ijora Transformer Upgrade Raises Capacity to 230MVA
The Ijora project represents a major increase in transformation capacity for one of Lagos’s key commercial and industrial corridors.
Tegbe explained that the original Ijora substation had three 30MVA transformers, providing a combined installed capacity of 90MVA. However, rising population, industrial activity, commercial operations and electricity demand had made the existing capacity inadequate.
Two of the ageing 30MVA transformers have now been replaced with two modern 100MVA, 132/33kV transformers, increasing the substation’s total installed capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA.
“This improvement represents a substantial intervention. Two of the existing 30 MVA transformers are replaced with two modern 100 MVA, 132/33 kV transformers, resulting in an increase of total installed capacity from 90 MVA to 230 MVA, equivalent to about 184MW. And that represents an additional 125MW of bulk transmission capacity that will translate into real economic value going forward,” he added.
The upgrade is expected to improve electricity supply to areas including Ijora, Costain, Oyigbo, Customs and Ajegunle, while also supporting businesses and other electricity consumers within the franchise area of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company.
Tegbe said the project was particularly important because of the strategic location of Ijora, which sits within a major economic corridor containing industries, ports, commercial centres and densely populated communities.
TCN Adopts Larger Transformers for Lagos Demand
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, said the decision to deploy 100MVA transformers instead of the conventional 60MVA units was driven by Lagos’s rapidly growing electricity demand.
“I want to reiterate that what TCN normally does; let me tell you: when they do such reinforcement, we normally remove 30 MVA and put 60 MVA. But now, knowing the demand of Lagos, instead of putting 60, we are putting two 100 MVAs. That’s why the capacity has more than doubled,” Abdulaziz said.
He said the additional capacity would accommodate future increases in electricity demand, reduce constraints on the network and improve the reliability of supply to load centres served by Eko Disco.
According to Abdulaziz, the project was funded by the World Bank and executed by Shanghai Electric Limited. He said the Ijora upgrade formed part of TCN’s broader nationwide programme to expand substations and transmission lines and improve the evacuation of electricity from generating plants to distribution companies.
“Transmission capacity must remain ahead of the generation curve. That is why TCN will continue to invest in new substations, transformer upgrades, transmission lines, and advanced grid technologies to ensure a stronger, more resilient, and responsive national grid,” he said.
Tegbe Commends TCN on Faster Fault Response
The power minister also praised TCN for what he described as improved response times in addressing faults on the transmission network.
“Let me tell you, I’m extremely impressed. In the last two months, the response time and support I’ve received from the agencies in the Ministry of Power has been very impressive. I dare say that I’ve not had any issue with either conductor falling over and not being fixed within 24 hours. I’ve not had issues of silicon composite insulator cracking and not being fixed within 24 hours. We’ve had issues of some feeders and stations out and fixed within four to six hours. I want you to keep it up,” he said.
The minister said improved maintenance and faster responses to technical faults would be essential as the government expands the capacity of the national grid.
He linked the ongoing transmission investments to President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of transforming Nigeria into a $1tn economy, noting that reliable electricity remains critical to industrial growth, business productivity and broader economic development.
Tegbe formally commissioned the two new 100MVA, 132/33kV transformers and associated upgraded facilities at Ijora, dedicating the project to Lagos residents as well as businesses and industries operating within the area.
Earlier, he had unveiled the 2x60MVA, 132/33kV gas-insulated substation on Apapa Road, Lagos. The project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
With the government targeting 6,000MW of electricity to be wheeled before December and 20 transmission projects scheduled for commissioning this year, the success of the plan will depend not only on additional generation but also on the ability of the transmission and distribution networks to absorb and reliably deliver the increased supply to consumers.