FG Moves To Build Super Grid, Attract New Power Investments – Independent Newspaper Nigeria
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The Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, has said the Federal Government is moving into a new phase of power sector reform focused on infrastructure and investment.
He spoke at a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday to mark his 100 days in office, where he also said the government has spent the last few months stabilising the existing system, recovering stranded capacity, and strengthening the commercial and governance structures needed to sustain growth.
He said the focus now is building a stronger, more reliable electricity system for the future, anchored on new investments and a planned Super Grid.
According to him, the next phase would centre on four priorities: deeper grid stabilisation, development of the Transmission Super Grid, better utilisation of existing assets and preparation for future electricity demand.
He disclosed that the recent Nigeria-China power mission secured commitments from Sinomach, CMEC, CNEEC and Chinese financiers to accelerate priority projects against defined completion schedules.
He explained that the engagements are intended to move beyond financing discussions towards partnerships involving capital, technology and project delivery.
He said CMEC had reaffirmed its role in the 1.9GW Presidential Power Initiative portfolio, with the first transmission lines scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2027.
CNEEC, he added, had advanced financing arrangements for the US$116 million Zungeru evacuation project, with approval targeted before year-end.
TBEA also committed to a proposed US$500 million industrial park for power-equipment manufacturing, alongside accelerated PPI work and a three-year delivery pathway for the East-West Super Grid.
HengFei Cables committed to supplying cables for PPI Phase Two and proposed a Nigerian assembly plant and training centre.
The Minister said these initiatives would connect infrastructure development with local production and technical capability.
Tegbe said the Ministry has begun technical audits along the Lagos and Abuja transmission corridors to identify system weaknesses and guide investment toward interventions with verified impact.
The Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors, he said, would remain central to the grid-stabilisation programme.
The Ministry will also begin developing the Transmission Super Grid, while continuing corridor stabilisation through the Presidential Power Initiative and related programmes.
He said the Federal Government had signed a cooperation agreement with Huawei Technologies covering grid digitalisation, loss reduction, SCADA gap assessment, and technical training.
He said improved digital visibility and system control were necessary to strengthen the management and performance of the national electricity network.
Welcoming Nigeria’s victory in the arbitration of the Mambila Hydropower Project case, he said the Ministry had engaged Energy China on the project and directed the contractor to explore the most practical delivery approach, including a possible phased approach.
He said larger hydro opportunities, including Mambila, as well as small hydropower projects serving agricultural corridors, form part of the country’s medium- and long-term electricity strategy.
He also highlighted the launch of the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO), established to finance renewable-energy assets and infrastructure.
RAMCO is expected to contract competent operators for metering, billing, collection, and maintenance, while targeting the mobilisation of ₦3 trillion over the coming years to support long-term investment and the viability of public renewable-energy assets.
Tegbe said the Ministry’s first 100 days focused on laying the foundations for future expansion.
“Stabilisation is the essential first stage of expansion,” he said.
He added that the Ministry would continue working with development partners including the World Bank, African Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, Sustainable Energy for All and UK PACT on financing, technical assistance, hydropower and electrification.
Over the next six months, he said, the Ministry would seek to convert the repairs, investments and reforms already underway into more visible improvements for electricity consumers.
“Our original commitment to visible, incremental improvements remains the benchmark,” Tegbe said.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to a disciplined approach to solving the sector’s challenges, strategic grid reform, visible improvements in electricity supply and honest communication with Nigerians.
