The Federal Government has paid N1.23tn out of the N3.3tn owed to electricity generation companies (GenCos) as part of efforts to address liquidity challenges and improve power supply in Nigeria.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.
Tegbe said the government was also working to strengthen the national grid, with plans to increase electricity transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000MW within two years.
He explained that the expansion would involve upgrading existing infrastructure and developing new transmission networks to improve the movement of electricity across the country.
The minister said the council had approved three transmission projects, including the construction of underground and overhead double-circuit lines at the Katampe Transmission Substation in Abuja.
Another project involves the design, manufacture and supply of three 300-megavolt-ampere power transformers for the Egbin Transmission Substation, which supplies electricity to the Lagos area.
According to Tegbe, the transformers require custom manufacturing and could take between three and six months to produce due to high global demand.
The third project will involve reconstructing and upgrading the 35.6-kilometre McPherson–Shagamu 132-kilovolt transmission line from a single-circuit to a double-circuit system to increase its electricity-carrying capacity.
The minister also disclosed that a technical assessment of the country’s power infrastructure was underway to identify ageing equipment and areas requiring urgent upgrades.
The assessment covers three major energy zones: the Lagos–Ibadan corridor, which accounts for about 50 per cent of national electricity demand; the Abuja–Kaduna–Karu zone; and the Benue–Enugu–Port Harcourt corridor.
He said the findings would guide the replacement of obsolete infrastructure and improvements to transmission network reliability.
As part of its long-term plans, the government is also pursuing an east-west super grid that would run from Sokoto through Funtua, Abuja, Akwanga and Benue to Epe in Lagos State.
Tegbe added that a new National Control Centre was being constructed in Osogbo to replace the existing facility, which is 64 years old. The new centre is expected to improve real-time monitoring and management of the national grid.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Power to clear more than 300 containers of electricity equipment abandoned at ports across the country, some for up to two decades.
Tegbe said the government would work with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to inspect the containers and determine which equipment remained usable.
Items suitable for use would be deployed to support the power grid, while obsolete materials would be disposed of appropriately.
The minister said the measures formed part of broader efforts to resolve funding constraints, modernise transmission infrastructure and improve the reliability of electricity supply across Nigeria.
