The Minister of Power, Engr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has commissioned major transmission projects across Lagos State, adding a combined 840MVA of new transformer capacity to the national grid and strengthening bulk electricity supply to industries, businesses and households.
The projects, commissioned on Monday, August 17, and Tuesday, August 18, 2026, span the Apapa, Ijora, Lekki and Alausa transmission substations. They are part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to eliminate transmission bottlenecks and direct electricity infrastructure to areas with significant economic and industrial activity.
The commissioned projects include a 300MVA, 330/132/33kV transformer at Lekki, two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers at Lekki, a 100MVA transformer at Alausa, two 60MVA GIS transformers at Apapa and two 100MVA transformers at Ijora.
According to the Ministry of Power, the interventions have added 540MVA of transformer capacity at the 132kV level, with the capacity to wheel about 432MW, as well as 300MVA at the 330kV level, capable of transmitting approximately 240MW within the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) network in Lagos.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremonies, Tegbe said the projects represented more than the installation of new equipment, describing them as targeted investments designed to support economic growth.
“They represent targeted investments in capacity for businesses to grow, capacity for industries to produce, and capacity for communities to prosper,” he said.
At the Lekki Transmission Substation on Tuesday, the minister said the upgrade had effectively doubled the substation’s capacity, reinforcing electricity infrastructure in one of Nigeria’s fastest growing economic corridors.
The intervention increased transformer capacity at the 330/132kV level from 300MVA to 600MVA, equivalent to approximately 480MW. Capacity at the 132/33kV level also rose from 120MVA to 240MVA, equivalent to about 192MW.
The project additionally delivered nine new 33kV feeders to improve bulk power delivery into the network of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).
Tegbe said the additional capacity would improve the reliability and availability of bulk electricity supplied to EKEDC for onward distribution to industries, businesses and households in Lekki and surrounding 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.
As investment flows into a corridor such as this, electricity infrastructure cannot be an afterthought,” he said.
He added that the nine new feeders were critical to ensuring that the increased transformation capacity could be fully evacuated and that the investment would not remain underutilised.
At the Alausa Transmission Substation, the minister commissioned a new 100MVA, 132/33kV transformer, increasing the substation’s total transformation capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA, equivalent to approximately 164MW.
The intervention also increased the quantum of bulk power available to Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) by about 80MW for onward delivery to consumers within its franchise area.
Tegbe described the Alausa project as a strategic investment designed to strengthen electricity supply to key administrative, commercial and industrial areas.
“Ikeja is where the ambition of Nigeria meets the industrious nature of Nigerians,” he said.
The minister said the Lekki and Alausa projects reflected the Federal Government’s policy of directing electricity infrastructure to locations where increased power supply could unlock production, investment, employment and economic value.
The commissioning programme began on Monday with the inauguration of a 2x60MVA GIS substation at the Apapa Transmission Substation.
The project was delivered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its Official Development Assistance programme. It 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 new facility is expected to increase bulk power availability in the axis by approximately 96MW.
The TCN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said the Apapa upgrade would significantly increase the volume of bulk electricity available to EKEDC for onward 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 electricity quality and support economic activities within one of Lagos’ major industrial corridors.
Ijora Capacity Rises to 230MVA
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 project increased the substation’s installed capacity from 90MVA to 230MVA, equivalent to approximately 184MW, providing an additional 112MW of transmission capacity.
According to Tegbe, the increased capacity would improve bulk power supply to Ijora, Costain, Oyingbo, Customs and adjoining communities while supporting businesses and consumers within the EKEDC franchise area.
Abdulaziz said the Ijora, Apapa, Lekki and Alausa projects demonstrated TCN’s commitment to modernising the national transmission network, reducing technical losses and creating additional capacity to meet Nigeria’s growing electricity demand.
At Alausa, he said the upgrade, executed by Shanghai Electric Ltd under a World Bank funded initiative that commenced in January 2021, would provide more stable and reliable electricity to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and adjoining areas through IKEDC.
Abdulaziz appealed for additional grant support for other critical sections of the transmission network, saying such interventions would enable TCN to sustain and optimise transmission operations nationwide.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Power, the Lagos State Government, JICA, the World Bank, contractors, TCN engineers and other stakeholders for their contributions to the delivery of the projects.
The TCN chief executive said the upgrades were consistent with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its efforts to achieve a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
Tegbe, meanwhile, said the Lagos projects were part of a broader nationwide transmission expansion programme.
“Our transmission challenges did not emerge overnight, and they will not disappear through one intervention,” he said.
“Our approach is deliberate: identify the bottleneck, invest in it, remove the constraint and unlock the capacity.”
He said the Federal Government would continue to strengthen transmission infrastructure where it constrained available power, expand substations requiring additional capacity, rehabilitate ageing equipment and prioritise industrial and commercial corridors where stronger electricity infrastructure could unlock economic activity.
The minister said the ultimate goal was to build an electricity system that would serve as a foundation for industrial competitiveness and economic growth rather than a constraint on investment.
TCN said similar transmission projects had been completed in other states and would be commissioned in due course as part of its ongoing effort to expand and modernise Nigeria’s national transmission network.
