The Federal Government has approved plans to develop a new Eastern-Western electricity grid as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s recurring national grid collapses.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at a recent HBSAN energy conference in Lagos, saying the government was preparing to begin the procurement process for the project.
He said Nigerians could begin to see the benefits of the planned infrastructure within two to three years.
Tegbe also revealed that the government had commenced a nationwide technical audit of electricity infrastructure to identify faults and determine which areas required urgent attention.
He said Nigeria had been divided into three energy zones for the intervention, with the Lagos and Abuja corridors accounting for areas that require significant attention.
“We have clustered Nigeria into three energy zones. The first one is the one that demands 50 per cent. If you fix Lagos and you fix the Abuja corridors, you’ve solved more than half of the problem of Nigeria,” he said.
The minister added that improving operational efficiency alone would not be enough without expanding the transmission network.
“The President has approved that we commence the process of building out the grid: East and Western grid. We’re going through the procurement process, but it’s something you’ll see the benefits in two to three years,” he said.
Tegbe explained that the technical audit was intended to ensure that government interventions addressed the actual causes of infrastructure failures rather than directing funds towards the wrong equipment.
He said the audit would identify whether problems stemmed from transformers, conductors, relays, insulators or transmission towers.
“We have started a technical audit across the entire country to say where do we have issues, and what issues specifically do we have,” he said, adding that the exercise was expected to be completed within a few weeks.
According to him, the findings would guide the government in prioritising repairs and other interventions.
Tegbe attributed some of the transmission network’s weaknesses to ageing infrastructure, noting that certain facilities had been in service for decades.
He said some transmission towers and lines dated back to the period when the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) operated before the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).
“This government has inherited a problem of 50 years,” the minister said, recalling that he had seen transmission facilities bearing the ECN logo during a site visit.
He said the age and condition of some of the infrastructure underscored the need for targeted repairs and investment in the electricity transmission network.
