The Federal Government has added over 15,000 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of transmission capacity to the national grid between 2023 and October 2026, the Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, has said.
Speaking at the 6th Annual Conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN) in Abuja, Tegbe, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Administration and Projects, Mr. Martins Olajide, said the capacity addition was part of deliberate efforts to strengthen the grid and unlock more power for distribution companies.
“Between 2023 and October 2026, additional transmission capacity in excess of 15,000MVA has been added to the national grid,” Tegbe said. “In the past two months alone, over 1,300MVA has been added to Nigeria’s transmission capacity. This has unlocked more power to the respective Distribution Companies (DisCos) for onward distribution to industrial and household customers.”
The minister listed the locations where new substation equipment was commissioned to include Kumbotso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Biliri and Walalambe.
On sector liquidity, Tegbe disclosed that the Federal Government had raised N1.23 trillion under a N3.3 trillion plan approved by President Bola Tinubu to settle verified legacy debts owed to generation companies.
“We have raised N1.23 trillion under that plan, easing the pressure on generators and improving their ability to pay for gas and maintain their plants,” he said.
He also reported that over 2.8 million customers had been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative to reduce collection losses, while construction had commenced on a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing facility built over 60 years ago.
Tegbe further outlined a four-pronged roadmap for the sector: “Grid Stabilisation, Sector Liquidity and Sustainability, Asset Optimisation, and Expansion and Enhancement of the grid.” Central to the plan, he said, is a corridor approach that prioritises major load centres for reliable, round-the-clock electricity supply, with Lagos-Ogun and Abuja serving as pilots for proposed 24-hour energy zones.
$20bn Private Investment Target
In his keynote address at the same event, the Managing Director of FGN Power Company Limited, Mr. Kenny Anuwe, said Nigeria is targeting approximately $20 billion in fresh investment to expand electricity infrastructure, stressing that public funding alone cannot meet the sector’s needs.
“We believe that the future is where FGN Power Company is capitalised by at least $1 billion. AFC has promised to match that amount. Other financiers need to bring in $18 billion,” Anuwe said.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had invested over N10 trillion in the electricity sector since privatisation in 2013, yet still accounts for over 95 per cent of new infrastructure investment.
“Government has invested over N10 trillion in the electricity sector since the advent of privatisation. But is it enough? How much money is enough? If government didn’t invest that money, the industry would not be standing today,” he said.
Anuwe added that the Presidential Power Initiative is implementing a $2.3 billion project portfolio, comprising $1.3 billion from Europe and $1 billion from China, targeting an additional 5,540 megawatts of transmission capacity and a reliability improvement of at least 60 per cent by 2029.
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