FG Upgrades Four Lagos Substations, Adds 360MW to Boost Power Supply

FG Upgrades Four Lagos Substations, Adds 360MW to Boost Power Supply

The Federal Government has commissioned upgraded transmission facilities at four major substations in Lagos, adding approximately 360MW of transmission capacity to boost electricity supply across Nigeria’s commercial capital, with the projects at Ijora, Apapa Road, Alausa and Lekki substations expected to strengthen bulk power delivery to residential, commercial and industrial consumers within the networks of Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Companies.

Speaking during the commissioning, Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the investments were aimed at removing transmission bottlenecks and improving electricity reliability across Lagos, noting that the interventions are part of a broader strategy to address structural constraints in the power sector. He explained that these infrastructures have been in place for over 25 years and that the government is commissioning new power transformers in Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki transmission substations, which is important as it will increase wheeling capacity and also improve delivery to end-users.

At the Ijora Transmission Substation, two new 100MVA transformers raised installed capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA, adding approximately 112MW of transmission capacity, with the project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and replacing two ageing 30MVA units. The Apapa Road substation received two 60MVA transformers alongside modern gas-insulated switchgear, increasing capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA and adding about 96MW, with this World Bank-funded project strengthening power supply to critical commercial hubs hosting the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa Wharf and manufacturing industries.

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At Alausa, an existing 30MVA transformer was replaced with a 100MVA unit, raising total capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA and adding approximately 56MW, with the upgrade having increased power allocation to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company to 80MW for onward delivery to consumers within its franchise area. The Lekki Transmission Substation received two 60MVA transformers, a 300MVA transformer and nine additional 33kV feeders as part of the upgrade, with the intervention doubling transformation capacity at the 132/33kV level from 120MVA to 240MVA, while an additional 1x300MVA, 330/132kV transformer is expected to be energised in November 2026. The project, executed by Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited with World Bank support, also increased transformer capacity at the 330/132kV level from 300MVA to 600MVA, equivalent to approximately 480MW, and the nine new feeders will improve bulk power delivery into the Eko Electricity Distribution Company network.

Tegbe said the Alausa intervention alone could serve about 70,000 households, representing approximately 180,000 people, while the Lekki project is expected to benefit about 100,000 customers, representing an estimated 400,000 people. Speaking at the Lekki commissioning, Tegbe emphasised the strategic importance of the location, noting that 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, and as investment flows into a corridor such as this, electricity infrastructure cannot be an afterthought. TCN Managing Director, Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said the upgrades would strengthen overall grid stability and enable more bulk power to reach distribution companies for onward supply within their franchise areas, describing the works as evidence 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 revealed that the Federal Government is working to significantly increase the country’s electricity wheeling capacity, stating that the target is to conveniently wheel 6,000MW in this country by the end of this year, and projecting that in the next one or two years, the figure should increase to 8,000MW. He emphasised that the government’s approach is deliberate, focused on identifying bottlenecks, investing in them, removing constraints and unlocking capacity to ensure that businesses can grow, industries can produce, and communities can prosper.

FG Upgrades Four Lagos Substations, Adds 360MW to Boost Power Supply