The Federal Government has set a target of comfortably transmitting 6,000 megawatts of electricity through the national grid by December 2026 after inaugurating upgraded transmission facilities in Lagos.
Power Minister Joseph Tegbe announced the target at the commissioning of improved substations in Ijora and Apapa.
The two projects added a combined 208MW of new transmission capacity.
Tegbe said about 20 completed transmission projects were expected to be inaugurated nationwide before the end of the year as government moves to reduce bottlenecks that prevent available generation from reaching consumers.
The minister acknowledged that generation alone would not solve the power problem if transmission infrastructure remained unable to evacuate electricity.
At Apapa Road, a new gas insulated substation with two 60MVA transformers was inaugurated.
The facility replaced older equipment and increased bulk power availability in the area by about 96MW.
Apapa is a major economic corridor hosting ports, maritime businesses, warehouses, factories and logistics companies.
At Ijora, two ageing 30MVA transformers were replaced with two 100MVA units.
The upgrade raised installed capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA and added about 112MW of bulk transmission capability for Ijora, Costain, Oyingbo, Customs and surrounding communities.
Tegbe said the objective was to ensure electricity could be delivered reliably to locations where it was needed at a quality and cost capable of supporting economic activity.
He linked the investment to the administration’s broader ambition of building a one trillion dollar economy.
Transmission Company of Nigeria Managing Director Sule Abdulaziz said the Apapa project was supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, while the Ijora upgrade was funded by the World Bank.
The Apapa facility was delivered with modern switchgear, control systems and supervisory technology.
TCN said the projects would improve supply reliability to industrial and commercial areas within the Eko Electricity Distribution Company network.
The additional capacity is also expected to reduce voltage problems and load shedding in the port corridor.
Government officials said the wider transmission programme would focus on reinforcing substations, strengthening major corridors and ensuring that future increases in generation could be evacuated more efficiently.
