The Transmission Company of Nigeria has completed major upgrades at four transmission substations in Lagos as part of efforts to improve the reliability of electricity supply and increase the amount of power delivered to distribution companies.
The upgraded facilities are located at Apapa Road, Ijora, Lekki and Alausa. The Apapa Road project was supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, while the other three projects received funding from the World Bank.
Speaking during the commissioning of the projects, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said inadequate transmission infrastructure had previously prevented the country from fully utilising available electricity generation.
He said the Federal Government was now addressing years of underinvestment and maintenance challenges across the transmission network.
At the Apapa Road substation, two 60MVA transformers were installed along with modern gas-insulated switchgear. The project raised the facility’s capacity from 60MVA to 180MVA.
According to the TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, the expansion will increase bulk electricity supplied to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, supporting customers in areas including Apapa Causeway, Ijora, Amukoko, Ajegunle, Apapa Wharf and Tin Can Island.
The Ijora substation also received two new 100MVA transformers to replace older 30MVA units. Its total transformation capacity consequently increased from 90MVA to 230MVA.
Abdulaziz said the additional 140MVA would provide greater capacity for rising electricity demand within the EKEDC franchise area, while reducing transmission constraints and improving the reliability of supply to commercial and industrial customers.
At Lekki, TCN installed two 60MVA transformers, increasing available transformer capacity by 120MVA. The company said the project would raise power output by 96MW and enable more electricity to be transmitted to customers in Lekki and surrounding communities.
The upgrade is expected to improve electricity supply for more than 134,000 residents in the area through EKEDC.
Meanwhile, the Alausa transmission substation received a new 100MVA transformer, replacing an existing 30MVA unit. The project increased the substation’s capacity from 135MVA to 205MVA.
TCN said the Alausa upgrade would provide more dependable electricity to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and nearby areas through the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
The projects were executed by Shanghai Electric Limited under World Bank-funded initiatives, with the Alausa project dating back to January 2021.
Abdulaziz said the upgrades were part of TCN’s broader plan to expand the national transmission network so that additional electricity generated can be evacuated and delivered efficiently to distribution companies.
He stressed that transmission capacity must keep pace with electricity generation and demand, adding that TCN would continue investing in substations, transformers, transmission lines and modern grid technologies.
The TCN chief also called for further grant funding to support upgrades in other critical areas of the national transmission network.
He urged Nigerians to protect electricity infrastructure and avoid acts of vandalism, warning that damage to critical facilities could undermine efforts to improve power supply across the country.
