Grid collapse defeated with additional 700MW –Minister

The Federal Government has announced a significant improvement in the stability of Nigeria’s power grid, attributing it to the installation of an additional 700 megawatts in transmission capacity.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said this at the weekend when he received the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, in his office in Abuja.

According to a statement released on Sunday by the minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu said the transmission capacity was achieved through the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative, which secured $2.3bn in financing to revamp and transform its transmission segments.

He explained that previously, once the grid supply approached 5,000 MW, the system became unstable and prone to collapse.He added that nearly 90 per cent of the new capacity has already been installed and is operational, leading to noticeable improvements in grid performance.

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

And that has improved transmission capacity by over 700 megawatts, which is the result of what we are seeing now in terms of relative stability in the transmission grid.”

We have almost completed the pilot phase of that project, which involved the importation, installation, commissioning, and energisation of 10 power transformers across the country and another set of 10 mobile substations. “Before now, at the time the supply to the grid entered 5,000, the grid was unstable; it shook, collapsed and all that.

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.

Continuing, the minister said the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry has transmitted and distributed the highest energy of 5,801.63 MW as the latest feat.”And this administration has recorded two major milestones in the power sector in Nigeria. Number one, the highest average daily power consumption. Over 20,000 kilowatt-hours were achieved, which has never been achieved before. We have also transmitted and distributed the highest energy in the volume of 5,801.63, which has broken the previous record, achieved in 2021. And lastly, we have achieved a valuable generation capacity of 6,003 megawatts in Nigeria. So, which is why I keep saying that when you put in some level of activity, you see the results,” he said.

Meanwhile, the minister has called on the member states of the European Union to continue to provide technical, financial, and other assistance to Nigeria, especially the power sector, which is the driving force of the economy.He said the sector is critical to the optimal performance of the economy. .

Adelabu expressed the readiness of Nigeria to continue to work and collaborate with the Union and all its development partners in achieving both bilateral and multilateral agreements.He informed the envoy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply committed to addressing the power sector’s challenges and has provided all the necessary support to drive significant progress. The minister noted in particular the enormous financial support that the power sector has received from European Union nations, such as Germany, France and many others, along with their development partners.

He expressed delight in receiving the envoy, as he said the meeting would ensure that both parties benefited from the bilateral and multilateral relationships.

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.

Renewable energy in terms of solar energy, most especially, and we have small dams which we are using for hydro power supply. So, we have achieved some level of energy expansion in terms of new generation.”The minister disclosed that the revolution that is ongoing in the sector was a result of the bold step of President Tinubu when he signed the Electricity Act of 2023.

He said, “The second intervention with regard to the transmission is the Presidential Power Initiative, and you will recognise it better when I say Siemens Project.

So, we are securing the financing of close to $2.3 bn to ensure that we revamp or transform our transmission segments.“And the government of Germany has been very instrumental in ensuring this works. Siemens is handling lots of the critical transmission projects there. We also have some reputable Chinese firms too, that are doing some distribution projects, based on each company’s speciality and track records.

“That is working well. We have almost completed the pilot phase of that project, which involved importation, installation, commissioning, and energisation of 10 power transformers across the country and another set of 10 mobile substations.”In a related development, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming the power sector to better meet the needs and aspirations of Nigerians by ensuring the provision of effective, affordable, accessible, and stable electricity across the country.

“The power minister reiterated the commitment at the 2nd edition of the Energy Times Newspaper Award, where the minister was honoured with the Power Sector Personality of the Year award by the organisers for his outstanding contribution to the power sector within the short time he assumed office as the minister. Represented by his special adviser on strategic communications and media, Adelabu said the award reminded him of the immense responsibility “we bear in transforming Nigeria’s energy landscape.

“Electricity is the lifeblood of any economy—the catalyst for industrialisation, job creation, and socio-economic development. Yet, we are acutely aware of the gaps that persist: from grid inefficiencies to the need for diversified energy sources, including renewables.“Consequently, and to ensure a stable, reliable and regular supply of energy, we have prioritised the following under the Renewed Hope Agenda: Grid Strengthening and Expansion– To reduce outages and improve supply reliability. Renewable Energy Integration – Leveraging solar, hydro, and other clean energy solutions to bridge the power deficit. Policy and Investment Reforms – Creating an enabling environment for private sector participation and foreign direct investment. Rural Electrification – Ensuring no community is left in the dark through decentralised energy solutions,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Engr Jennifer Adighije, has emerged as the Young Achiever of the Year at the 2025 Energy Times Awards for her contributions to the power sector.

The award was presented to her over the weekend at a dinner held in Lagos.

The organisers said Adighije was selected for the award for having shown an “unwavering commitment to the sector-wide goal of 6,000 megawatts power generation to ensure widespread access to quality electricity”.

It was stated that briefly after her appointment in August 2024, Adighije ensured the restoration of two turbine units that had been offline due to bearing defects, adding 230 230MW to the national power generation output.

Speaking with newsmen at the award presentation dinner, the managing director described the recognition as a humbling experience, especially as a new management team in the office in less than a year.

“It’s a very humbling experience for us at NDPHC. As you are aware, we’re a new management. We’ve been in office less than a year. This is a call to work harder,” she said.

Adighije stressed that the new management under her leadership has a clear mandate to scale power generation.

According to her, the NDPHC is the only agency with the express mandate to carry out interventions across the value chain, stressing that her team is not losing focus on the mandate.

“The mandate is very clear to us, which is to scale generation, transmission, and distribution capacity across the power sector. We are the only agency or institution or entity in the power sector with the express mandate to carry out interventions across the entire gas-to-electricity ecosystem. And we’re not losing sight of this,” she stated.

Other awardees at the event are the Governor of Ekiti, Abayomi Oyebanji, as the Energy Governor of the Year; the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, as the Power Sector Personality of the Year; former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, as the Man of the Year; the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, as the Transformational Leader of the Year; and the CEO of Ikeja Electric, Folake Soetan, who emerged as the Amazon of Nigeria’s Power Sector.

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited bagged the Major Oil Company of the Year; Seplat Energy is the Fastest Growing Indigenous Oil Company of the Year; Egbin Power got the Sustainable Development Company of the Year; Heirs Energies is the Outstanding Oil Company of the Year; and NNPC spokesman Olufemi Soneye was honoured with an Award of Excellence, among other recipients.