Alausa Transformer to Boost IKEDC Power Supply by 80MW – Minister
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Alausa Transformer to Boost IKEDC Power Supply by 80MW – Minister
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said the newly commissioned 100MVA transformer at the Alausa Transmission Substation in Lagos will increase bulk electricity available to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC by 80 megawatts.
Tegbe disclosed this on Tuesday during the commissioning of the 1x100MVA, 132/33kV transformer at the Alausa transmission station.
He said the project was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to remove transmission bottlenecks and improve electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries across the country.
According to him, the replacement of the existing 30MVA transformer with the new 100MVA unit increased the total capacity of the Alausa substation from 135MVA to 205MVA.
He said the additional capacity would strengthen electricity supply within Ikeja, which he described as one of Lagos State’s most important administrative and economic corridors.
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Tegbe said the area hosts government institutions, businesses, factories, markets, hospitals, schools and residential communities, making reliable electricity critical to its economic activities.
“The multiplier effect of an additional 80MW of bulk power availability is more than an ordinary technical statistic.
“Behind these numbers are businesses, industries, hospitals, schools, offices, markets, technology companies, malls, artisans and people whose livelihoods depend upon electricity,” he said.
The minister said the government’s approach to resolving the country’s transmission challenges was to identify bottlenecks, invest in critical infrastructure and unlock additional capacity.
He explained that the Federal Government would strengthen transmission infrastructure in areas where it was constraining available power, expand substations requiring additional capacity and replace ageing equipment threatening reliability.
Tegbe said the Alausa project was one of several interventions being undertaken to strengthen the national transmission network.
He added that the government would continue to prioritise investments in industrial and commercial corridors where improved electricity infrastructure could stimulate economic activities.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, said the transformer was installed under a World Bank-funded project executed by Shanghai Electric Limited.
Abdulaziz said the project, which commenced in January 2021, would improve the reliability of electricity supplied to at least 70,000 residents in Alausa and its environs through IKEDC.
He said the project would also increase the quantum of bulk power that TCN could wheel to distribution load centres.
The TCN boss said the development was consistent with the Federal Government’s efforts to build a stronger transmission network capable of supporting Nigeria’s growing electricity demand.
He commended the World Bank, Lagos State Government, Shanghai Electric, engineers and other stakeholders for their contributions to the completion of the project.
The minister subsequently commissioned the transformer and its associated facilities on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
