FG Boosts Lagos Power Supply as Tegbe Commissions Upgraded Ijora, Apapa Substations

Joseph Tegbe 
Minister of Power 

"The interventions are part of the Federal Government’s determination to tackle the structural weaknesses that had constrained Nigeria’s electricity sector for decades." Tegbe 

..... Describes the upgrades "as evidence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “fearless commitment to addressing the structural constraints that have held our economy back.” 

.... Says "reliable electricity transmission remained critical to achieving the administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy."

"The projects have significantly expanded the transformation capacity of the two substations and are expected to improve the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) ability to deliver bulk electricity to distribution load centres across Lagos."

"The projects represented a further step in the company’s nationwide drive to expand transmission capacity and modernise the national grid." Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, TCN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

The Federal Government has commissioned major upgrades at the Ijora and Apapa Road transmission substations in Lagos, in a move expected to strengthen electricity supply to some of the state’s busiest commercial and industrial centres.

The projects, commissioned on Monday by the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, have significantly expanded the transformation capacity of the two substations and are expected to improve the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) ability to deliver bulk electricity to distribution load centres across Lagos.

Speaking at the commissioning, Tegbe said the interventions were part of the Federal Government’s determination to tackle the structural weaknesses that had constrained Nigeria’s electricity sector for decades.

He described the upgrades as evidence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “fearless commitment to addressing the structural constraints that have held our economy back,” stressing that reliable electricity transmission remained critical to achieving the administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

According to the minister, government’s priority was not only to increase electricity generation but also to ensure that available power could be effectively transmitted and delivered to consumers.

Tegbe commended the Lagos State Government for its support and collaboration, assuring that the Ministry of Power would continue to strengthen transmission infrastructure across the country to close the gap between generation capacity and the grid’s ability to evacuate and transmit available power.

At Ijora, two new 100MVA, 132/33kV transformers were installed to replace ageing 30MVA units. The intervention raised the substation’s installed transformation capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA, providing an additional 140MVA capacity for the network.

The World Bank-funded project was executed by Shanghai Electric Limited and is expected to increase bulk power available to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), accommodate future load growth and reduce transmission constraints affecting electricity supply to Ijora and surrounding commercial and industrial areas.

At the Apapa Road 132/33kV Transmission Substation, two new 60MVA transformers and modern Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) were installed, raising the facility’s capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA.

The project, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its Emergency Rehabilitation and Reinforcement of Lagos Transmission Substations programme, is expected to improve bulk electricity supply to Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can Island and other strategic economic locations.

The JICA grant agreement with the Federal Government was signed in November 2018, while implementation commenced in 2019. Yachiyo Engineering Co. Ltd. undertook preparatory surveys and grant mobilisation, while Takaoka Engineering Co. Ltd. handled the design, supply, installation and rehabilitation works.

Speaking after the Minister, TCN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said the projects represented a further step in the company’s nationwide drive to expand transmission capacity and modernise the national grid.

Abdulaziz said the Apapa Road intervention had tripled the station’s capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA, giving EKEDC greater capacity to supply customers across some of Lagos’ most important commercial and industrial districts.

He explained that the Ijora project would similarly enable TCN to deliver increased bulk power to EKEDC load centres, improve operational flexibility and reliability, and provide additional headroom for future electricity demand.

The TCN boss said the projects were part of the company’s broader programme to expand substations, replace ageing transformers, construct transmission lines and deploy modern grid technologies to ensure that available generation could be efficiently transmitted to distribution companies.

He appealed to JICA and other development partners to extend similar interventions to other critical sections of the national transmission network, noting that sustained investment was necessary to optimise transmission operations nationwide.

The commissioning ceremonies were attended by senior government officials, representatives of the Japanese Embassy and JICA, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), officials of the Lagos State Government, representatives of EKEDC and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, as well as TCN engineers, contractors and other stakeholders.

The interventions underline the Federal Government’s strategy of strengthening the transmission backbone of the electricity sector as part of efforts to improve power reliability, support industrial activity and accelerate economic growth.