Nigeria to begin power grid overhaul in January
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The Nigerian government plans to begin replacing ageing national electricity grid infrastructure in January 2027. Energy Minister Joseph Tegbe says a technical audit has already identified faults on transmission lines, some of which have been operating for 50 years, Vanguard reports.
Nigeria plans to begin replacing ageing infrastructure on its national electricity grid in January 2027, following a technical audit aimed at identifying equipment to be repaired or replaced. Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced the timetable on Monday during a television programme on TVC, saying the work would begin within one to two months.
The audit, which began about a month ago, has already identified faults in pylons, insulators, conductor relays and other transmission network equipment. Joseph Tegbe said transmission was the sector's main constraint, with some electricity lines having been in service for up to 50 years, according to Vanguard.
The minister also said Nigeria has sufficient natural gas reserves to generate electricity, but supply-chain difficulties, including debts owed to electricity producers, are limiting generation. This comes after the Nigerian Independent System Operator attributed part of the decline in generation on 5 November to gas shortages and lower water inflows at hydroelectric power plants, while NNPC Limited said on 7 November that its gas transmission network had no operational constraint responsible for the decline.
The grid replacement project comes as power cuts persist in several Nigerian states, according to an assessment published on 9 November power outage persists in several Nigerian states.
