Lagos State has received a major boost in electricity transmission capacity with the commissioning of projects adding 840MVA of transformer capacity across four key transmission substations in the state.
The projects, commissioned on Monday, August 17, and Tuesday, August 18, 2026, by the Minister of Power, Engr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, are located at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki.
The interventions comprised two 60MVA transformers at the Apapa Transmission Substation, two 100MVA transformers at Ijora, a 100MVA transformer at Alausa and a 300MVA transformer alongside two 60MVA transformers at the Lekki Transmission Substation.
The projects are expected to significantly increase the volume and reliability of bulk electricity available to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) for onward distribution to industries, businesses and households across Lagos.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremonies, Tegbe described the projects as strategic investments aimed at removing transmission bottlenecks and unlocking economic opportunities.
“They represent targeted investments in capacity for businesses to grow, capacity for industries to produce, and capacity for communities to prosper,” the Minister said.
At the Lekki Transmission Substation, Tegbe commissioned one 300MVA, 330/132/33kV power transformer and two 60MVA, 132/33kV transformers.
The intervention has effectively doubled the transformation capacity of the Lekki 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation.
Transformer capacity at the 330/132kV level has increased from 300MVA to 600MVA, equivalent to approximately 480MW, while capacity at the 132/33kV level has risen from 120MVA to 240MVA, equivalent to approximately 192MW.
The project also delivered nine new 33kV feeders to improve the evacuation of bulk electricity into the EKEDC network.
According to the Minister, the additional capacity will improve the reliability and availability of electricity supplied to industries, businesses and households in Lekki and adjoining 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,” Tegbe said.
He stressed that electricity infrastructure must keep pace with investment and industrial expansion in rapidly developing economic corridors.
At the Alausa Transmission Substation, the Minister commissioned a new 100MVA, 132/33kV transformer.
The project increased the substation’s total transformation capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA, equivalent to approximately 164MW.
It also increased the quantum of bulk power available to IKEDC by about 80MW for onward distribution to consumers within its franchise area.
Tegbe described the Alausa intervention as a deliberate effort to strengthen electricity infrastructure in strategic commercial and administrative locations.
“Ikeja is where the ambition of Nigeria meets the industrious nature of Nigerians,” he said.
The commissioning exercise began on Monday, August 17, at the Apapa Transmission Substation, where the Minister inaugurated a 2x60MVA Gas Insulated Substation (GIS).
The project was delivered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its Official Development Assistance programme.
The facility comprised two 60MVA, 132/33kV power transformers, modern gas-insulated switchgear, a new control building, protection and control systems, substation automation systems and SCADA infrastructure.
The intervention has increased bulk power availability in the Apapa axis by approximately 96MW.
The Minister said the project would strengthen electricity supply to Apapa and its surrounding industrial and commercial areas.
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 upgrade increased the total installed capacity of the substation from 90MVA to 230MVA, equivalent to approximately 184MW.
The project provided an additional 112MW of transmission capacity for the area.
Tegbe said the intervention would improve electricity supply to Ijora, Costain, Oyingbo, Customs and adjoining communities while supporting commercial activities within the EKEDC franchise area.
He said the projects formed part of a broader Federal Government strategy to direct electricity infrastructure to areas where additional capacity can unlock production, investment, employment and economic growth.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, said the four projects would significantly strengthen electricity transmission across Lagos.
At Apapa, Abdulaziz said the new GIS facility would increase the quantum of bulk power available to EKEDC for onward distribution to customers in Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf, Tin Can Island and other commercial areas.
He said the project would also improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply in one of Lagos’ major industrial corridors.
At Alausa, Abdulaziz said the project, 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.
According to him, the intervention would also increase the volume of bulk power TCN can wheel to distribution load centres, thereby strengthening grid stability and improving electricity delivery.
The TCN boss described the projects as evidence of the company’s commitment to modernising Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure, reducing technical losses and developing a network capable of meeting the country’s growing electricity demand.
He 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.
Abdulaziz commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of Power Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, the Lagos State Government, JICA, the World Bank, contractors, TCN engineers and other stakeholders for their contributions to the successful delivery of the projects.
‘Identify the Bottleneck, Remove the Constraint’
Tegbe said the Lagos projects were part of a nationwide effort to strengthen transmission infrastructure and eliminate constraints limiting the delivery of available electricity.
“Our approach is deliberate: Identify the bottleneck. Invest in it. Remove the constraint. Unlock the capacity,” he said.
He added that where transmission infrastructure was constraining available power, the Federal Government would strengthen it, while substations requiring additional capacity would be expanded and ageing equipment progressively rehabilitated or replaced.
The Minister said the administration’s ambition extended beyond the projects commissioned in Lagos, stressing that electricity must become a foundation for industrial competitiveness and economic growth.
“The Federal Government’s ambition is larger than the projects commissioned today. We are building towards a Nigeria where electricity is not merely a social service, but the foundation for industrial competitiveness and economic growth, and where investment decisions are driven by opportunity rather than infrastructure constraints,” he said.
The commissioning of the projects represented a significant step in the ongoing expansion and modernisation of Nigeria’s national transmission network, with similar completed projects in other parts of the country expected to be commissioned in due course.
