Susan Abayomi
The Federal Government has restored the vandalised Benin–Egbin 330kV transmission line, leading to a significant recovery in electricity supply to Lagos and neighbouring states following recent disruptions caused by infrastructure damage and scheduled maintenance at Egbin Power Station.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this during a television interview on TVC, explaining that the recent electricity disruption affecting Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and parts of Kwara State was not a national grid collapse but a reduction in available power supply caused by the simultaneous loss of two major electricity infrastructure assets.
According to the Minister, the Benin–Egbin transmission line, which ordinarily delivers between 300 and 400 megawatts to the Lagos electricity corridor, was vandalised while Egbin Power Station was undergoing scheduled maintenance.
The combined impact of both incidents resulted in a loss of nearly 800 megawatts, forcing electricity distribution companies to implement load shedding across the affected areas.
Tegbe said the Ministry of Power immediately initiated measures to address the disruption, following his earlier assurance that electricity supply would gradually improve within 48 to 72 hours.
He confirmed that the Benin–Egbin line had been restored, adding that the Lagos electricity complex was receiving approximately 1,000 megawatts as of the previous night and the morning of the interview.
The Minister also announced that Egbin Power Station’s ST1 turbine had resumed operation, while ST3 was expected to return to service later that evening, contributing an additional 150 megawatts to the Lagos electricity corridor.
Addressing long-term measures to improve electricity supply, Tegbe identified the restoration of the Oshogbo–Ikeja West transmission line as another major priority for the Federal Government.
The transmission line, which has remained out of service for about 18 months following the vandalism of approximately six transmission towers, has the capacity to deliver an additional 400 megawatts to Lagos when fully operational.
He explained that restoration efforts had been prioritised despite difficult working conditions, particularly swampy sections of the route that have made access and repairs challenging. The government is targeting the completion of the project by the end of November 2026.
Tegbe noted that four major transmission lines serve the Lagos electricity complex, but only three were operational at the time of the interview. He said restoring the fourth line would increase available transmission capacity and strengthen the reliability of electricity supply to Lagos and the Ogun corridor.
The Minister further identified vandalism of electricity infrastructure as a major challenge confronting efforts to improve power supply, warning that the destruction of transmission towers and other critical facilities undermines investments in the power sector.
To tackle the problem, he disclosed that a joint task force involving the Ministry of Power, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the Office of the National Security Adviser, Homeland Security and other security agencies had been established to improve the protection of critical electricity infrastructure.
According to him, the task force is identifying vulnerable locations and considering the deployment of drones and other surveillance technologies to monitor transmission routes and strengthen security operations.
He added that the Federal Government was also collaborating with the National Assembly to strengthen existing laws and ensure that those responsible for damaging critical national assets face appropriate legal consequences.
Tegbe urged Nigerians to support efforts to protect electricity infrastructure, emphasising that the destruction of even one transmission tower could disrupt power supply to thousands of homes and businesses.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving electricity supply through prompt infrastructure repairs, stronger coordination among relevant agencies and sustained investment across the power sector.
