The Federal Government has set a target of generating and wheeling 6,000 megawatts of electricity before December, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said.
Tegbe disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while commissioning two new 100 megavolt-ampere, 132/33 kilovolt power transformers at the Ijora Transmission Substation.
The government’s target of wheeling 6,000MW by December signals ongoing efforts to increase power generation.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government plans to commission 20 transmission projects before the end of the year as part of measures to strengthen the country’s electricity infrastructure.
“This is my second transmission project commissioning today, and we all agreed that before the end of the year, we should commission 20. The most important thing is to be able to wheel comfortably 6,000 megawatts before December. Will that happen?” he asked stakeholders, who replied in the affirmative.
The target comes as the Federal Government intensifies investments across the electricity value chain, with Tegbe emphasising that the goal is not only to increase power generation but also to ensure that the available electricity is transmitted reliably to consumers.
“Let me put on record that the objective of this commitment is not just to generate more megawatts. The objective is to create a power system that can reliably deliver electricity to where it is needed, when it is needed, and at a quality and cost that supports economic activity,” he stated.
Speaking on the significance of the Ijora project, Tegbe said the substation was strategically located along one of Lagos’ key economic corridors, serving industries, ports, commercial centres and surrounding communities.
He said the original Ijora substation had three 30 MVA transformers with a combined installed capacity of 90 MVA, which had become insufficient due to rising population, commercial activities and industrial demand.
According to him, two of the existing 30 MVA transformers have been replaced with two 100 MVA units, increasing the substation’s total installed capacity from 90 MVA to 230 MVA.
“This improvement represents a substantial intervention. Two of the existing 30 MVA transformers are replaced with two modern 100 MVA, 132/33 kV transformers, resulting in an increase of total installed capacity from 90 MVA to 230 MVA, equivalent to about 184MW. And that represents an additional 125MW of bulk transmission capacity that will translate into real economic value going forward,” he added.
Tegbe said the upgrade would improve electricity supply to Ijora, Costain, Oyigbo, Customs and Ajegunle communities, while also supporting businesses and millions of consumers within the Eko Electricity Distribution Company franchise area.
He stressed that a reliable transmission network remained essential to achieving President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of transforming Nigeria into a $1tn economy.
Tegbe recalled that inadequate transmission infrastructure had previously been a major constraint in the power sector, but said the situation was changing as the government stepped up investments in the network.
