By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Federal Government has commissioned major transmission projects across four substations in Lagos State, adding 840MVA of new transformer capacity to the national grid and strengthening bulk electricity supply to industries, businesses and households across the state.
The projects, commissioned on Monday, August 17, and Tuesday, August 18, 2026, by the Minister of Power, Engr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, comprise a 300MVA, 330/132/33kV transformer at the Lekki Transmission Substation; two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers at Lekki; a 100MVA transformer at Alausa; two 60MVA transformers at Apapa; and two 100MVA transformers at Ijora.
The interventions are expected to significantly expand the capacity of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to wheel bulk electricity to the Eko and Ikeja electricity distribution companies for onward supply to consumers across Lagos.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremonies, Tegbe said the projects represented more than the installation of new electrical equipment, describing them as strategic investments designed to unlock economic growth.
“They represent targeted investments in capacity for businesses to grow, capacity for industries to produce, and capacity for communities to prosper,” the minister said.
At the Lekki Transmission Substation, the minister said the intervention had effectively doubled the substation’s capacity, making it better positioned to support one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing economic corridors.
The project increased transformer capacity at the 330/132kV level from 300MVA to 600MVA, equivalent to approximately 480MW, while capacity at the 132/33kV level rose from 120MVA to 240MVA, equivalent to about 192MW.
The Lekki project also delivered nine new 33kV feeders, designed to improve bulk power evacuation into the network of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).
Tegbe said the additional infrastructure would improve the reliability and availability of bulk electricity supplied to EKEDC for distribution to industries, businesses and households in Lekki and adjoining communities.
“Lekki represents the Nigeria we are building towards, a more industrial, more commercially active, more connected to global markets and increasingly attractive to domestic and international capital,” he said.
He stressed that electricity infrastructure must keep pace with investment and economic expansion, noting that the government would continue to identify transmission bottlenecks, strengthen constrained networks and prioritise growing industrial and commercial corridors
At the Alausa Transmission Substation, Tegbe commissioned a new 100MVA, 132/33kV transformer, which increased the substation’s total transformation capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA, equivalent to approximately 164MW.
The project also increased the quantum of bulk power available to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) by about 80MW for onward distribution to consumers within its franchise area.
Describing the intervention as strategic, the minister said Ikeja represented an important economic and administrative centre where reliable electricity was critical to businesses, industries, markets and other economic activities.
“Ikeja is where the ambition of Nigeria meets the industrious nature of Nigerians,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, August 17, Tegbe commissioned a 2x60MVA Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) at the Apapa Transmission Substation.
The project, delivered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its Official Development Assistance programme, comprises modern Gas Insulated Switchgear, two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers, a new control building, modern protection and control systems, Substation Automation Systems and SCADA infrastructure.
The facility is expected to increase bulk power availability in the Apapa axis by approximately 96MW.
The minister said the project would strengthen electricity supply to one of Lagos’ major industrial and commercial corridors.
Also commissioned on Monday was the upgrade of the Ijora Transmission Substation, where two existing 30MVA transformers were replaced with two modern 100MVA, 132/33kV transformers.
The upgrade raised the total installed capacity of the substation from 90MVA to 230MVA, equivalent to about 184MW, providing an additional 112MW of transmission capacity.
According to Tegbe, the increased capacity would improve electricity supply to Ijora, Costain, Oyingbo, Customs and adjoining communities while supporting commercial activities and consumers within the EKEDC franchise area.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said the four projects would significantly improve power transmission and bulk electricity availability across Lagos State.
Speaking at the Apapa commissioning, Abdulaziz said the two new 60MVA transformers would increase the quantum of bulk electricity available to EKEDC for distribution to consumers in Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can Island and other commercial areas.
He said the project would also improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply while supporting economic activities in the industrial corridor.
At Alausa, the TCN boss said the project, executed by Shanghai Electric Ltd under a World Bank-funded initiative that commenced in January 2021, would provide more stable electricity to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and adjoining communities through IKEDC.
According to him, the upgrade would also increase the volume of bulk power TCN could wheel to distribution load centres, thereby strengthening grid stability.
Abdulaziz said the projects demonstrated TCN’s commitment to modernising the national transmission network, reducing technical losses and developing infrastructure capable of meeting Nigeria’s growing electricity demand.
He appealed for additional grant support for other critical sections of the transmission network to enable TCN sustain and optimise transmission operations nationwide.
The TCN managing director commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Power, Lagos State Government, JICA, World Bank, contractors, TCN engineers and other stakeholders for their contributions to the projects.
He said the interventions aligned with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and efforts to achieve a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
The Federal Government said the Lagos projects form part of a broader nationwide programme to remove transmission constraints, expand electricity delivery capacity and direct investments towards areas where reliable power can unlock production, investment, employment and economic growth.
Tegbe said the government would continue to strengthen transmission infrastructure where available power was being constrained by network limitations.
“Identify the bottleneck. Invest in it. Remove the constraint. Unlock the capacity,” he said.
He added that similar transmission projects had been completed in other parts of the country and would be commissioned in due course.
The latest interventions, according to the government, mark another step in the systematic expansion and modernisation of Nigeria’s transmission network to meet rising electricity demand and support economic development.
