Energy stability: Tinubu targets 19,000MW transmission capacity

As part of its initiatives to increase electricity transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000 megawatts within two years, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday endorsed the procurement of equipment for the proposed East and West super grids.

The Minister of Power, Mr Olasunkanmi Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this to newsmen at a briefing after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Tegbe expressed hope that the super grids would enhance the capacity of the existing transmission network and improve its resilience.

The project would span the northern and southern parts of the country.

He said, “This is aimed at strengthening our transmission substations and some of our lines. Particularly, Katampe Transmission Substation is a major hub for the North-Central region.

“We’re making some modest improvements in service delivery in some parts of Nigeria. It is worth noting that, as part of these efforts, we have also set up a technical audit of the entire infrastructure across the country with respect to the power sector. In the course of doing this, we have divided the country into three medium energy zones.”

The minister also disclosed that the present administration had settled part of the debt owed to electricity generation companies (GenCos), with N1.23 trillion paid out of the N3.3 trillion owed to them.

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He said, “As we work on stabilising the grid, we are also addressing liquidity and debt issues in the sector. So far, we have been able to pay N1.2 trillion out of the N2.3 trillion debt to the GenCos, which we considered a challenge in respect of the supply of feedstock gas.

“As we continue to do this, we are also working to optimise the assets we have in the sector. Hence, we plan to build resilience into the grid by expanding and investing in it.

“The intention is to upgrade our transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to over 19,000 megawatts. That would effectively match our transmission capacity with our generation capacity.”

He also told newsmen that the government planned to build a new national control centre, noting that the existing facility was built more than 64 years ago.

“We have commenced rebuilding a new one in Oshogbo. Our national control centre will be a sophisticated, modern facility that can help us manage the grid,” he said.

Tegbe also disclosed that the President had directed the clearance of more than 300 containers of power equipment that had been trapped at the ports, some for as long as 20 years.

He said the ministry had begun working with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to secure their release.

“Those containers are not empty containers. It is appalling to see that we find ourselves in such situations,” Tegbe said.

He explained that experts would inspect the equipment after clearance to determine its condition, identify items that could still be deployed and advise on those that had become obsolete.

According to him, the government would also work to resolve outstanding charges between the relevant agencies, where necessary, to facilitate the clearance.

Note: The figures on the GenCos’ debt differ in the original text: N1.23 trillion out of N3.3 trillion in one paragraph and N1.2 trillion out of N2.3 trillion in the minister’s quotation. I have retained both figures as presented, but they should be verified before publication.