By our Correspondent.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, during the week commissioned the upgraded Lekki and Alausa substations, adding 272 MW to the grid in Lagos.
According to the Minister, the drive was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s transmission network, adding a combined 272MW of bulk power capacity to two of the state’s most economically significant corridors while boosting its capacity.
At Alausa, an existing 30MVA transformer was replaced with a new 100MVA unit, lifting the station’s total capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA and increasing bulk power available to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) by 80MW. At Lekki, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) installed additional 2x60MVA, 132/33kV power transformers, alongside nine new 33kV feeders, doubling the substation’s 132/33kV capacity from 120MVA to 240MVA, an increase of approximately 192MW.
Speaking at the two events, Tegbe said the projects reflected President Tinubu administration’s deliberate approach to fixing the sector’s structural bottlenecks: “Identify the bottleneck. Invest in it. Remove the constraint. Unlock the capacity.”
He emphasized that the upgrades reflect the administration’s determination to “confront the infrastructure constraints that have limited Nigeria’s economic potential,” noting that ageing equipment and stranded capacity would continue to be addressed nationwide.
The Lekki project, executed by Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited with World Bank support, also includes an additional 1x300MVA, 330/132kV transformer expected to be energised in November 2026.
In his remarks, TCN Managing Director/CEO Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz said the project in Alausa, executed by Shanghai Electric Limited under a World Bank-funded initiative, would, upon energisation, provide more stable and reliable electricity to at least 70,000 residents through IKEDC. He said the upgrade would strengthen grid stability while enabling more bulk power to reach distribution companies for onward supply within their franchise areas, describing it as proof that “TCN remains resolute in its mandate of building and sustaining a robust transmission network, capable of transporting Nigeria’s growing power needs to various distribution load centres nationwide.”
The Minister commended TCN, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), EKEDC, and IKEDC, as well as Shanghai Electric Group and the World Bank for their roles in delivering both projects, and congratulated Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sustaining an enabling environment for infrastructure investment in the state. (GSF)