Match New 672mw Transmission Capacity With Evacuation, Tegbe Tells Lagos DisCos

The minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has warned that the 672MW of new transmission capacity added to the Lagos grid must be matched by proper evacuation into the distribution networks, or risk being left stranded. Speaking as he commissioned seven 132/33kV power transformers and one 330kV power transformer across four substations — Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki — on Monday and Tuesday, 17th and 18th August 2026, the Minister said new feeders had been added at Lekki specifically to ensure the increased transformation capacity “is properly evacuated and does not leave part of the investment stranded.”

The minister said the newly-commissioned transmission capacity across four Lagos substations must be evacuated to distribution networks, not left stranded

The 672MW figure comes from a combined 840MVA of new transformer capacity added at the four sites: 540MVA at the 132kV level, capable of wheeling 432MW, and 300MVA at the 330kV level, capable of transmitting an additional 240MW.

Speaking at the inauguration, Tegbe said the interventions went beyond the installation of new equipment.

According to him, they were “targeted investments in capacity — capacity for businesses to grow, capacity for industries to produce, and capacity for communities to prosper.”

At the Lekki Transmission Substation, commissioned on Tuesday, 18th August 2026, the Minister said the upgrade had effectively doubled the site’s capacity.

Transformer capacity at the 330/132kV level rose from 300MVA to 600MVA, equivalent to about 480MW, while capacity at the 132/33kV level rose from 120MVA to 240MVA, equivalent to about 192MW. He described Lekki as one of Nigeria’s fastest-developing economic corridors, saying: “We are commissioning capacity — capacity for businesses to grow; capacity for industries to produce; capacity for communities to prosper; and capacity for one of the fastest-growing economic corridors in our country to continue to expand without electricity infrastructure becoming a brake on its progress.”

The Lekki project also delivered nine new 33kV feeders to improve bulk power delivery into the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) network.

The new feeders are needed to ensure that the increased transmission capacity is properly evacuated and does not leave part of the investment stranded.

He said the significance of the upgrade lay in its location, describing Lekki as representing “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 adding that “as investment flows into a corridor such as this, electricity infrastructure cannot be an afterthought.”

At the Alausa Transmission Substation, also commissioned on Tuesday, a new 100MVA, 132/33kV power transformer raised the site’s total transformation capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA, equivalent to about 164MW.

Tegbe also said the upgrade increased the quantum of bulk power available to Ikeja Electric Distribution Company by 80MW for onward delivery to consumers within its franchise area.

He described the Alausa intervention as a deliberate strengthening of strategic locations, “from the seat of government to industrial estates, factories that employ our people, and markets and workshops where millions earn their daily livelihood,” stating that “Ikeja is where the ambition of Nigeria meets the industrious nature of Nigerians.”

At the Ijora Transmission Substation, commissioned on Monday, two existing 30MVA transformers were replaced with two modern 100MVA, 132/33kV transformers, raising the substation’s installed capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA, equivalent to 184MW — an additional 112MW of transmission capacity.

The minister said the increase had significantly improved power supply to Ijora, Costain, Oyingbo, Customs and adjoining communities, and would support commercial activities for millions of electricity consumers within the EKEDC franchise area.

The fourth project, also commissioned on Monday, was a 2x60MVA Gas Insulated Substation at the Apapa Transmission Substation, delivered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency under its Official Development Assistance programme. The facility comprises two 60 MVA, 132/33kV power transformers, new 132kV and 33kV GIS switchgear, a new control building, modern protection and control systems, Substation Automation Systems, and SCADA infrastructure. The Minister said this would enable more efficient operation and monitoring of the asset. The new facility increased bulk power availability within that axis by approximately 96MW.

Also speaking, the managing director and CEO of TCN, Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, noted that the upgrades were carried out to replace older transformers with higher-capacity units and to deploy modern equipment such as GIS to strengthen the grid.

He noted the projects were delivered through partnerships and development financing — World Bank-funded works executed by Shanghai Electric Ltd. at Ijora and Alausa, and a JICA grant implemented with Takaoka Engineering (and preparatory support by Yachiyo Engineering) at Apapa Road — and thanked the President, the Minister of Power, Lagos State, development partners, contractors, TCN engineers and host communities for their support.

Abdulaziz described the upgrades as evidence of TCN’s tenacity in delivering critical infrastructure despite implementation challenges.

Abdulaziz said the increased transformer capacity — including additions that raise Alausa to 205MVA, Ijora to 230MVA and Apapa Road to 180MVA — will boost the volume of bulk power the company can wheel to distribution load centres, improve supply reliability for residents and businesses served by IBEDC and EKEDC, reduce network constraints, and position the transmission network to support continued economic growth; he also appealed for further grant support for similar projects nationwide.