The federal government has added 640 megawatts (MW) of electricity transmission capacity to the national grid following the commissioning of six substations in Kano and Katsina States.
The projects comprise four substations at Walalambe, Kumbotso, Dakata and Dan-Agundi in Kano State, which collectively contribute 544MW, and two 60-megavolt-ampere (MVA) substations in Kankia Local Government Area of Katsina State, adding another 96MW.
The Ministry of Power announced the developments in a statement weekend, following commissioning ceremonies held during the week.
The additional capacity is expected to strengthen the transmission network’s ability to deliver available electricity to distribution companies and consumers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Kankia substations the minister of power, Joseph Tegbe, said the projects reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving electricity infrastructure.
He added that investments in electricity infrastructure would support business expansion, job creation and economic growth.
The Kankia facilities comprise two 60 MVA, 132/33-kilovolt substations designed to strengthen the transmission network serving Katsina State and neighbouring areas.
Tegbe said the infrastructure would improve the network’s capacity to deliver available electricity, supporting commercial activities and household welfare. He urged residents to protect the facilities against vandalism and report suspicious activities to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) or security agencies.
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, described the project as a significant investment in the state’s electricity infrastructure, saying improved supply could support industrial development, economic growth and public service delivery. He commended the President, the Federal Ministry of Power and TCN for completing the project.
The latest projects come amid broader government efforts to address bottlenecks in Nigeria’s transmission network, which have constrained the amount of electricity that can be delivered to distribution companies and end users.
In September, NATIONAL ECONOMY reported that the Federal Government planned to deploy more than 300 containers of critical power equipment released from ports to support transmission upgrades nationwide. The planned interventions include grid stabilisation along the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors.
The power minister also disclosed that transformers commissioned at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki had unlocked 672MW of additional capacity, while a 300 MVA transformer at Katampe added another 240MW, according to ministry figures.
In Lagos, TCN commissioned two 60 MVA gas-insulated substations at Apapa Road and two 100 MVA transformers at Ijora in August. The projects increased Apapa Road’s capacity to 180 MVA and Ijora’s total capacity to 230 MVA, equivalent to 184MW.
The Federal Government and Lagos State Government also began coordinating a pilot programme for round-the-clock electricity supply along the Lagos corridor under the proposed 24/7 Energy Zones initiative. The programme prioritises grid stabilisation, market liquidity, grid expansion and regulatory coordination, with the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Enugu-Port Harcourt corridors identified as potential areas for expansion.
The government is also expanding electricity metering to improve billing transparency and strengthen the distribution segment. Nigeria installed 707,765 electricity meters in the first half of 2026, a 71 per cent increase from the 412,792 installed in the corresponding period of 2025.
However, more than 4.8 million active registered electricity customers remained unmetered at the end of June, highlighting the scale of the work still required across the distribution network.
