The Federal Government has approved the commencement of procurement for Nigeria’s proposed East and West Super Grids, a major electricity transmission project expected to increase the country’s power transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts (MW) to 19,000MW within two years.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced the approval on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He said the projects would strengthen Nigeria’s national grid, improve electricity transmission and enable more power to reach homes, businesses and industries across the country.
Tegbe explained that although Nigeria has more than 13,000MW of available electricity generation capacity, its transmission network can reliably carry only about 5,000MW. The proposed East and West Super Grids are designed to address this gap by improving the movement of electricity from generation plants to areas with high demand.
According to the minister, the projects will connect different parts of the country through stronger transmission corridors, including routes linking Sokoto, Abuja and locations in southern Nigeria. He stressed that the initiative was designed to benefit the entire country rather than any particular region.
Beyond the super grid projects, the Federal Executive Council also approved three immediate interventions to improve electricity transmission around Abuja and Lagos.
The first project involves the construction of a 33-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit line combining underground and overhead sections connected to the Katampe Transmission Substation. The facility serves as an important electricity transmission hub in the North-Central region.
The second intervention covers the design, manufacture and supply of three 300-megavolt-ampere (MVA), 330/132/33kV transformers for the Ikeja West Transmission Substation in Lagos. The transformers are expected to strengthen the facility’s capacity to handle electricity supply demands in the state.
The third project involves the reconstruction and upgrading of the 35.6-kilometre Itumola–Mapasin–Shagamu 132kV transmission line from a single-circuit to a double-circuit system. The upgrade is intended to improve electricity transmission along the Lagos–Shagamu corridor, where demand continues to increase.
Tegbe said the government was prioritising essential transmission infrastructure because the availability of electricity generation alone would not guarantee reliable supply without an efficient network to deliver the power.
He also disclosed that the high-capacity transformers required for the Ikeja West project would be manufactured abroad because Nigeria currently lacks the specialised industrial capacity to produce equipment of that specification.
Although some companies have started assembling transformers locally, the minister said the production of larger units requires advanced manufacturing facilities and could take between three and six months. He added that increasing global demand for electricity infrastructure, partly driven by artificial intelligence and data centres, was putting additional pressure on equipment supply.
As part of efforts to identify infrastructure gaps, the Ministry of Power has also commenced a nationwide technical audit of electricity transmission assets. The exercise, which had been ongoing for four weeks as of Wednesday, is intended to identify ageing equipment, weak transmission lines and facilities requiring rehabilitation or replacement.
The audit covers three major energy zones: Lagos and its industrial corridor, Abuja–Kaduna–Kano, and Enugu–Onitsha–Benin.
Tegbe said the findings would guide investment decisions and help the government direct funds towards projects capable of delivering measurable improvements in electricity transmission.
He identified the Lagos–Ogun, Benin–Edo–Port Harcourt and Abuja–Kaduna–Kano corridors as priority areas for infrastructure development. According to him, the Lagos–Ogun corridor alone accounts for approximately half of Nigeria’s national energy demand.
On the financial challenges affecting the electricity industry, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government had paid ₦1.23 trillion out of the ₦3.3 trillion owed to gas suppliers and other stakeholders in the power sector.
He said the outstanding liabilities had affected gas supplies to electricity generation companies and weakened confidence across the electricity value chain.
The payments were made through bonds under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, which aims to improve liquidity for generation companies, support gas supplies and restore investor confidence.
Tegbe said the government intended to settle the remaining liabilities while reviewing the electricity market structure to strengthen payment discipline and prevent the accumulation of new debts.
The minister further revealed that President Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Power, Nigerian Ports Authority and Nigeria Customs Service to clear more than 300 containers of electricity equipment that had been stranded at Nigerian ports.
Some of the containers have reportedly remained uncleared for between 14 and 20 years because of unresolved charges and incomplete clearance procedures under previous administrations.
Tegbe described the situation as unacceptable, noting that the equipment had been intended to support the development of the country’s electricity infrastructure.
He said technical experts would inspect the materials after their release to determine which items remained usable and could be deployed for transmission projects. Equipment considered obsolete would be disposed of appropriately.
Meanwhile, construction has commenced on a new National Control Centre in Osogbo, Osun State, to replace the existing facility, which the minister described as 64 years old.
The new centre is expected to provide modern monitoring and control systems to improve the management and stability of Nigeria’s national electricity grid.
The Ministry of Power is also working to bring completed transmission substations into operation in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Gombe and other locations to strengthen electricity delivery across the country.
In addition to grid-based projects, the government is expanding renewable energy initiatives to provide more reliable electricity to institutions affected by transmission constraints.
Tegbe disclosed that 14 federal universities had received installed and energised solar mini-grids with capacities ranging from 1MW to 5MW. Another 11 universities are receiving support through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
Five teaching hospitals are also benefiting from solar power installations being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health.
The minister said the government’s electricity reform agenda would continue to focus on grid stability, transmission infrastructure rehabilitation, improved financial liquidity and investment in renewable energy.
He added that the objective was to build a more dependable electricity system capable of meeting the needs of Nigerian households, businesses and industries.
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