Grid Collapse Averted With Additional 700MW, Says Minister

The Federal Government has reported notable progress in the stability of Nigeria’s power grid, crediting the improvement to the addition of 700 megawatts of transmission capacity.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, made this known over the weekend during a meeting with EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, held in Abuja.

A statement released on Sunday by the minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, noted that the transmission upgrade was part of the Presidential Power Initiative, which secured $2.3 billion in funding to overhaul and modernise the country’s transmission infrastructure.

Adelabu explained that in the past, the grid would become unstable and prone to collapse whenever supply neared 5,000 megawatts. However, he revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the newly added capacity is already in place and functioning, significantly boosting grid reliability.

The statement read, “We have installed almost 90 per cent of this, and they are working.

He added that the transmission capacity has increased by over 700 megawatts, which accounts for the current relative stability being experienced in the national grid.

“We’re nearing the completion of the pilot phase of the initiative,” he said, noting that it involved the importation, installation, commissioning, and energisation of 10 power transformers nationwide, along with another set of 10 mobile substations.

“Previously, once power supply to the grid exceeded 5,000 megawatts, the system became unstable, leading to frequent collapses,” he explained.

Now, we are having an average of 5,000, 7,000, and 8,000 megawatts. So, it’s not by accident. It’s because of these activities of the government.”

The minister further explained that this administration has recorded two major milestones in the power sector in Nigeria. He said number one is the highest average daily power consumption.“Over 20,000 kilowatt-hours it achieved, which has never been achieved before,” he said.

The minister further noted that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry has now transmitted and distributed a record-breaking 5,801.63 megawatts of energy—surpassing the previous peak recorded in 2021.

He highlighted three key milestones achieved under the current administration: “First, we’ve recorded the highest average daily power consumption of over 20,000 kilowatt-hours, which is unprecedented. Second, we’ve reached the highest volume of transmitted and distributed energy at 5,801.63 MW. And third, we’ve attained a viable generation capacity of 6,003 megawatts,” he said. “This shows that when strategic efforts are made, the results follow.”

The minister also urged EU member states to continue supporting Nigeria’s power sector with technical expertise, financial aid, and other forms of assistance, noting that a stable power sector is essential to the country’s economic development.

Adelabu affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with the European Union and other development partners to fulfill both bilateral and multilateral agreements. He assured the EU envoy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains fully dedicated to resolving challenges in the power sector and has offered strong backing to ensure meaningful progress.

He highlighted the substantial financial support received from EU countries—such as Germany and France—and their development partners, which has been instrumental in driving reforms in the sector.

Expressing his appreciation for the visit, Adelabu noted that the meeting would help strengthen mutual benefits from existing partnerships and foster deeper cooperation going forward.

He said, “First, let me thank you and welcome you. When I got the information that you wanted to meet with me, I wasn’t surprised. I was also excited to receive you in my office because we are trying everything possible to ensure that we benefit from bilateral and multilateral relationships when it comes to gaining experience of the Western nations on the issue of power. And like you rightly put it, the power sector is so critical to the optimal performance of every other sector. Without power, it would be tough for other sectors to perform actively, which is why Mr. President has placed so much premium and priority on transforming the Nigerian power sector.

“We have a history that we are not proud of. Over 60 years of electricity in Nigeria, and we are still at this level of erratic supply to households, businesses and industries. We got electricity before some European countries. So those that got electricity after us have stabilised their supply. They have made their supply reliable, and they are benefiting from it through visible economic growth and industrial development. And today, we are still import-dependent on the majority of the things that we use in Nigeria, not because we don’t have the raw materials to produce these things but because of the lack of reliability and functionality of our power sector,” the minister said.

He added that there has been a lot of improvement since President Tinubu took over power, and he has initiated reforms that are yielding positive results and transforming the sector. He noted in particular the investment in the non-grid supply to the rural and semi-urban parts of the country.

He said, “We have seen some reasonable improvements since this new administration came in. In three basic areas. Number one, in the area of energy access expansion. We have extended the grid to so many areas where there were no grid extensions. And we have also exploited renewable energy in our rural areas and semi-urban areas that were either underserved or unserved.