The Federal Government has approved the construction of a new Eastern and Western electricity grid to tackle the persistent collapse of the national grid.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed the plan at the HBSAN Energy Conference held in Lagos. He said the project is aimed at strengthening the country’s fragile transmission network, which has been largely responsible for the recurring blackouts.
According to the minister, President Bola Tinubu has given approval for the government to begin building out the two new grids. He noted that the process has moved to the procurement stage and Nigerians could start feeling the impact within the next two to three years.
Tegbe explained that the government has grouped the country into three energy zones to better manage electricity supply. He said more than 50 percent of the nation’s power demand comes from Lagos and the Abuja corridor, and fixing the supply challenges in those two areas would solve a major part of the problem.
He, however, said that improving efficiency alone would not be enough without expanding the grid infrastructure.
The minister also revealed that the Federal Government has commenced a nationwide technical audit of power infrastructure. The exercise, he said, will help identify the real causes of grid failures, whether they are linked to transformers, conductors, towers, relays or insulators, and ensure that interventions are properly channeled.
He added that the audit is expected to be completed in a few weeks and will guide future investments in the sector, to avoid spending funds on equipment that does not need urgent attention.
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