…Minister clarifies recent outage was not a grid collapse; Oshogbo–Ikeja West line restoration targeted for November as government strengthens grid resilience.
The Federal Government has restored the
vandalised Benin–Egbin 330kV transmission line, recovering a significant
portion of electricity supply to Lagos and neighbouring states following recent
disruptions caused by planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and damage to
critical transmission infrastructure.
The Honourable Minister of Power, Joseph
Tegbe, disclosed this during a television interview on TVC this morning,
explaining that the recent disruption affecting Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and parts of
Kwara State was not a national grid collapse, but a reduction in available
electricity supply resulting from the simultaneous loss of two critical power
infrastructure assets.
According to the Minister, the Benin–Egbin transmission line, which typically conveys between 300 and 400 megawatts into the Lagos electricity complex, was vandalised at a time when Egbin Power Station was undergoing planned maintenance. The combination of both incidents resulted in the loss of almost 800 megawatts of supply, necessitating load shedding across the affected areas.
He said the Ministry immediately activated
interventions to address the situation and restore electricity supply,
fulfilling his earlier commitment to resolve the disruption within 48 to 72
hours.
"As of yesterday, the Benin–Egbin line
was restored. As of last night and this morning, the Lagos complex is receiving
about 1,000 megawatts," the Minister said during the interview.
He further disclosed that Egbin's ST1 turbine
had returned to operation, while another turbine, ST3, was expected to come on
stream that evening, adding approximately 150 megawatts to the Lagos
electricity complex.
Looking beyond the immediate disruption,
Tegbe identified the restoration of the Oshogbo–Ikeja West transmission line as
another critical intervention to strengthen electricity supply to Lagos and the
Ogun corridor.
The line, which has been out of service for
approximately 18 months following the vandalism of about six transmission
towers, would typically convey an additional 400 megawatts into Lagos.
He explained that restoration work had been
prioritised despite the difficult terrain, which includes swampy areas that
make access and repairs challenging. The government is targeting the completion
of the restoration by the end of November 2026.
The Minister noted that four major
transmission lines serve the Lagos electricity complex, but only three were
operational at the time of the interview. Restoring the fourth would provide
additional capacity and reduce the vulnerability of the corridor to
disruptions.
Tegbe also identified infrastructure
vandalism as a major threat to electricity reliability, noting that the
destruction of transmission towers and other critical assets undermines the
investments being made to improve power supply.
To address the challenge, he disclosed that a
joint task force comprising the Ministry of Power, Transmission Company of
Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Office of the
National Security Adviser, Homeland Security and other security agencies had
been established to strengthen the protection of electricity infrastructure.
The task force is mapping vulnerable
locations and exploring the deployment of drones and other surveillance
technologies to monitor transmission corridors and improve security responses.
Government is also working with the National
Assembly to strengthen the legal framework for prosecuting offenders and
ensuring that the destruction of critical national assets attracts appropriate
consequences.
The Minister appealed to Nigerians to support
the protection of electricity infrastructure, stressing that the destruction of
a single transmission tower can disrupt electricity supply to thousands of
households and businesses.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment
to improving grid stability through faster infrastructure restoration, better
coordination among sector agencies and sustained investment in the electricity
value chain.
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