Nigeria moves to nearly quadruple what its power grid can carry
Procurement starts on East and West super grids meant to lift transmission from about 5,000MW to 19,000MW in two years.
Abuja — Nigeria's Federal Executive Council has approved the start of procurement for two "super grids" that the government says will raise the national transmission network's capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000MW within two years.
Power Minister Joseph Tegbe said the East and West corridors will run north to south, from Sokoto through Abuja into southern Nigeria. The aim is to fix a long-standing gap: the country has more than 13,000MW of available generation but its grid can reliably move only about 5,000MW to homes and businesses.
Quick fixes for Abuja and Lagos
The council also approved three immediate projects:
- a 33kV double-circuit line, partly underground, from the Katampe substation in Abuja;
- three 300MVA transformers for the Ikeja West substation, a key supply point for Lagos;
- rebuilding the 35.6km Itumola–Mapasin–Shagamu 132kV line as a double circuit for the Lagos–Shagamu corridor.
Paying old debts
Tegbe said the government has now paid ₦1.23 trillion of the ₦3.3 trillion owed to gas suppliers and other power-sector companies, and intends to clear the rest while stopping new arrears from building up.
Source: Vanguard via AllAfrica, 29 October 2026.
