FG approves East, West super grids to raise transmission capacity to 19,000MW

‎ ‎By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ‎ ‎The Federal Government on Wednesday said it has approved the commencement of procurement for the proposed East and West Super Grids as part of efforts to strengthen the national electricity network and raise transmission capacity from about 5,000 megawatts to 19,000MW within two years. ‎ ‎The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja. ‎ ‎The Minister explained that the projects would improve grid resilience and enable the country to evacuate more electricity to consumers. “The East and West Super Grids are not projects for one part of the country,” Tegbe said.

“They cut across the north and south of Nigeria, strengthening the backbone that must carry power from where it is generated to where it is needed. ” The initiative is designed to address one of the sector’s central contradictions: Nigeria has more than 13,000MW of available generation capacity, but its transmission network can reliably wheel only about 5,000MW. Tegbe said the super grids would improve resilience, reduce grid instability and allow more electricity to reach homes, businesses and industries. “The target is simple,” he said. “We want a grid that can evacuate the power we already have, not one that leaves generation stranded while consumers remain in darkness. ” The Minister explained that the corridors would strengthen transmission links from Sokoto through Abuja and other locations into parts of southern Nigeria. Beyond the super grids, the council approved three immediate interventions for Abuja and the Lagos axis, two of the country’s most important electricity demand centres.…