Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, has announced an increase in the national grid’s capacity by 625 megawatts (MW), bringing it to a total of 4,800 MW.
Adelabu made this announcement in Lagos during the commissioning of two new power stations: a 63 MVA, 132/33kV mobile station in Ajah, Lagos, and a 60MVA, 132/33kV station in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
He explained that these additions would enhance the nation’s transmission wheeling capacity by 123 MW, leading to improved electricity supply for all Nigerians.
He also highlighted the strategic importance of these stations, noting that they would help address transmission capacity constraints and enhance efficiency and reliability across the country.
The minister emphasized the versatility of the mobile substation, stating that it could be deployed to major load centres and used as a temporary solution during maintenance or emergencies.
He said, “Not only does it serve as a catalyst for capacity enhancement within our transmission network, but it also stands as a beacon of hope for the businesses and households reliant on uninterrupted power supply.”
Adelabu also revealed that following the operation of the hydroelectric power plant in Zungeru, the second-largest hydroelectric plant in Nigeria, behind the Kainji Dam, the power generation increased from 4,200MW in the last few days.
“Let me mention that we have started seeing improvements in our generation output. In the past few days, the output has increased from 4,200MW to 4,800MW. What we experienced in February and some parts of March is not desirable when we had very low generation,” Adelabu said
“We have made significant progress which I believe will encourage generating companies to ramp up their outputs as we are targeting 6,000MW before the end of the year.
“What led to the increase in the past few days was the commencement of the operation of Zungeru hydroelectric power plant that just added 625MW to the national grid,” he added.
On April 22, Adelabu announced that the Federal Government plans to increase power generation from 4,000MW to 6,000MW before the end of 2024.
