Nigeria plans a major transmission network expansion, alongside a nationwide technical audit, as the government seeks to improve electricity reliability and address decades-old infrastructure weaknesses.
The Federal Government has approved plans to develop new eastern and western electricity grids as part of efforts to reduce Nigeria’s recurring national grid collapses and strengthen power transmission infrastructure.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe disclosed the approval at a recent energy conference organised by HBSAN in Lagos, saying the government was preparing to begin procurement for the projects.
He said Nigerians could begin to see the benefits of the planned investments within two to three years, as the administration seeks to address structural weaknesses in the transmission network.
The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to improve electricity delivery by identifying critical infrastructure gaps, prioritising high-demand areas and directing investment towards the specific causes of transmission failures.
“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,” Tegbe said.
The minister did not provide details on the proposed grids’ capacity, project costs, procurement timetable or the precise configuration of the new network.
Lagos, Abuja corridors identified as priorities
Tegbe said the government had divided the country into three energy zones to help prioritise interventions based on electricity demand and the potential impact of infrastructure improvements.
He identified the Lagos and Abuja corridors as particularly important, arguing that resolving transmission constraints in the two areas could address a substantial proportion of the country’s electricity challenges.
“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.
However, he acknowledged that operational improvements alone would not be sufficient without additional investment in transmission infrastructure.
The planned grid expansion is expected to complement efforts to strengthen the network serving major consumption centres and improve the movement of electricity across the country.
For businesses, more reliable transmission could help reduce disruptions to electricity supply, although the ultimate impact will depend on implementation, generation availability and the performance of distribution networks.
Nationwide technical audit to guide investment
Alongside the grid expansion, the government has commenced a technical audit of electricity infrastructure across Nigeria to establish the condition of existing assets and determine which facilities require urgent repairs, rehabilitation or replacement.
Tegbe said the exercise was intended to prevent misallocation of funds by ensuring that interventions address the actual causes of infrastructure failures.
He explained that problems attributed to transformers might, in some cases, originate from faulty 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.
The minister said the audit would be completed within weeks, after which the government would identify priority areas for intervention.
The findings could help establish a clearer basis for allocating scarce public resources between emergency repairs, replacement of ageing equipment and longer-term network expansion.
For investors and electricity-sector operators, the exercise could also provide a better understanding of the infrastructure constraints affecting power delivery and the scale of investment required to address them.
Ageing infrastructure poses major challenge
Tegbe attributed some of the transmission network’s weaknesses to the age of existing facilities, noting that certain towers and transmission lines dated back several decades.
He said the government had inherited infrastructure problems that had accumulated over approximately 50 years, with some assets bearing the logo of the former Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), which preceded the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).
“This government has inherited a problem of 50 years,” he said, describing his experience inspecting transmission facilities that had deteriorated over time.
The condition of these assets highlights the scale of the challenge facing Nigeria’s electricity industry, where maintaining existing infrastructure and expanding transmission capacity are both necessary to improve supply reliability.
Ageing towers, deteriorating conductors and equipment faults can undermine the ability of the grid to transmit electricity safely and consistently, making maintenance and timely replacement essential components of power-sector reform.
Implementation will determine impact on electricity supply
Nigeria’s recurring grid disturbances have continued to expose weaknesses in the country’s electricity infrastructure, affecting households, commercial establishments and industrial operations.
The proposed eastern and western grids represent a long-term infrastructure response, but their effectiveness will depend on the technical design, funding arrangements, procurement process and speed of construction.
The government will also need to demonstrate how the new infrastructure will integrate with existing transmission assets and improve the resilience of the wider national electricity system.
The nationwide audit is expected to help determine where immediate interventions are required while the longer-term projects progress through procurement and implementation.
For manufacturers and other electricity-intensive businesses, the key measure of success will be whether the investments translate into more dependable grid supply, fewer disruptive outages and lower reliance on costly alternative power sources.
With the government projecting a two-to-three-year period before the new grid infrastructure begins delivering benefits, the immediate priorities will be completing the audit, publishing clear implementation plans and ensuring that procurement leads to measurable improvements in transmission reliability.