Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has apologised to Nigerians over recent electricity outages, revealing that Lagos lost nearly 800 megawatts (MW) following planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Plant and the vandalism of a major transmission line.
Tegbe, speaking on TVC’s The Morning Brief, said the disruption was not a national grid collapse, but a reduction in available power caused by problems at both the generation and transmission levels.
He said vandalism of a 330-kilovolt transmission line supplying the Lagos electricity complex had cut off between 300MW and 400MW, while the Egbin disruption resulted in a further loss of almost 800MW.
The combined impact forced load shedding across Lagos, Ogun and parts of Kwara states.
Tegbe said Egbin’s ST1 turbine had returned to service, while ST3 was expected to resume operation, adding about 150MW to electricity available to Lagos.
He disclosed that the Lagos electricity complex was receiving about 1,000MW as of Monday morning, describing the development as progress towards his earlier promise to restore supply within 48 to 72 hours.
However, the minister identified ageing and vandalised transmission infrastructure as a major obstacle to reliable electricity supply.
According to him, only three transmission lines supplying Lagos are currently operational, while another has been out of service for more than 18 months.
The Oshogbo-Ikeja West transmission line, which passes through Oshodi, could add another 400MW to Lagos supply when restored.
But six transmission towers along the route have reportedly been vandalised.
Tegbe said the government expects to restore the damaged line by the end of November despite difficulties posed by the swampy terrain.
He also disclosed that the government had reduced outstanding debts in the electricity sector by N1.23 trillion, bringing the liability down to about N2 trillion.
He said the remaining debt would be paid next year to ease pressure on power generation companies and improve gas supply.
On vandalism, Tegbe said a government task force involving the Ministry of Power, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Nigerian Independent System Operator, Office of the National Security Adviser, Homeland Security and DSS had been established to protect critical electricity infrastructure.
He said helicopters and drones would be deployed to monitor vulnerable transmission facilities, while the government was also seeking stronger laws to ensure faster prosecution of suspected vandals.
Tegbe said Nigerians should expect gradual improvement in electricity supply as government interventions take effect, noting that strengthening the national grid and deploying solar mini-grids to underserved communities remained part of the long-term strategy.
