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• Targets 19,000MW from 5,000MW
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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has paid N1.2 trillion of the N2.3 trillion debt owed to operators in the power sector, as part of efforts to address liquidity challenges and improve electricity supply nationwide.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Tegbe said the payment was part of broader measures to ease liquidity constraints in the electricity sector, particularly those affecting gas supply to power generation companies.
He said the government was also stepping up efforts to stabilise the national grid, expand transmission capacity and improve electricity delivery to consumers.
As part of the initiative, the ministry has commenced a technical audit of power infrastructure nationwide to identify ageing facilities and determine those requiring urgent upgrades.
Tegbe said the country has been divided into three major energy zones to guide targeted interventions, noting that Lagos and its environs account for about 50 per cent of national electricity demand. The other zones cover Abuja, Kano and other areas requiring improvements in transmission and supply.
The minister said the government planned to expand transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to more than 19,000 megawatts to better accommodate Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity, which he put at over 13,000 megawatts.
He disclosed that the FEC had approved three projects to strengthen the national transmission network.
The projects include the upgrade of the Katampe transmission substation, a key facility serving the North-Central region; the design and manufacture of three 300-megavolt-ampere transformers for the Egbin transmission substation, which serves the Lagos axis; and the reconstruction of a 35.6-kilometre transmission line along the Shagamu axis from a single-circuit to a double-circuit line.
According to him, the projects are expected to improve the grid’s capacity, stability and resilience.
On alternative power sources, Tegbe said 14 federal universities had been equipped with solar mini-grids with capacities ranging from one to five megawatts, while another 11 institutions had received funding through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
He said the initiative covered nearly 30 institutions, adding that the University of Abuja’s solar mini-grid was commissioned about three weeks ago, with similar projects planned for other universities.
The government, he added, had also completed and energised solar mini-grid projects in five teaching hospitals in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health.
Tegbe said the projects were intended to provide more reliable electricity to critical public institutions and reduce their dependence on the national grid.
The minister further disclosed that the government had begun efforts to clear more than 300 containers of power equipment stranded at the nation’s ports.
He said Tinubu had directed the ministry to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to facilitate their clearance and deployment for electricity infrastructure projects.
Tegbe also announced that construction had commenced on a new National Control Centre in Osogbo, Osun State, to replace the existing facility, which he said was built 64 years ago.
He said the new centre would feature modern technology to strengthen grid monitoring and management.
The minister said the government would sustain efforts to settle outstanding debts, upgrade transmission infrastructure and expand alternative energy projects to improve electricity supply across the country.
