By Emmanuel Enitan
The rehabilitation of the Amuwo 132/33kV Transmission Substation in Lagos has missed its July completion target, with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) blaming delays in the delivery of critical equipment being manufactured in China.
TCN’s Acting General Manager, Lagos Region, Funmi Ikoko, disclosed this during a fact-finding visit by the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) to the company’s facilities in Lagos, saying the rehabilitation was now about 80 per cent complete.
According to her, contractors are awaiting contactors, relays and other equipment required to complete the outstanding work, with the materials expected to arrive from China within the next month or two.
Ikoko said the delay followed an earlier challenge over securing the system outage required for the rehabilitation, as TCN had to make alternative arrangements to prevent a total disruption of electricity supply to consumers in the affected areas.
She explained that the Amuwo station required a complete shutdown for the rehabilitation, but the outage could not be granted until arrangements were made with the affected distribution companies, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Electric, under their service-level agreements.
TCN subsequently deployed mobile transformers and diverted loads, while lines from Ojo and other locations were extended towards the Festac axis to relieve some of the affected load.
“With the alternate arrangement now made, the outstanding equipment has become the major requirement for the contractors to continue and complete the project,” Ikoko said.
The rehabilitation had initially been scheduled to run for 122 days, from March 18 to July 30, 2026.
TCN had earlier said the project involved the rehabilitation of the gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) facility and replacement of the existing 30MVA transformers with two 60MVA units.
The replacement is expected to add 60MVA to the substation’s capacity when completed, while the upgraded facility is also expected to reduce the frequent breakdowns and downtime associated with the ageing GIS equipment.
To minimise the impact of the rehabilitation on electricity consumers, TCN had deployed 40MVA and 30MVA mobile transformers to enable EKEDC and Ikeja Electric to continue taking power for customers during the project.
The latest delay, however, highlights the wider challenge of completing critical transmission infrastructure projects on schedule, particularly where specialised equipment has to be sourced internationally.
The development also comes as electricity regulators in Lagos are raising concerns about bottlenecks beyond the transmission network that could limit the amount of available power ultimately reaching consumers.
During the LASERC visit, the commission’s Executive Member, Engineering and Standards, Olopade Adekunle, said weaknesses on the distribution side remained a constraint, particularly in load uptake, feeder capacity and protection coordination.
He said distribution companies would need to upgrade their 11kV and 33kV networks to effectively absorb available power from the transmission system.
The officials also discussed instances where available electricity could not be fully taken up because of downstream network limitations, including periods when as much as 200MW was reportedly rejected.
LASERC Chief Executive Officer, Temitope George, said the inspection was aimed at understanding infrastructure constraints across the electricity value chain and identifying areas requiring investment.
For Lagos, where electricity demand continues to rise alongside industrial, commercial and residential activity, the completion of the Amuwo project is expected to strengthen the transmission network and improve the reliability of supply to parts of the metropolis.
The project is particularly important because Amuwo is part of a network serving densely populated and commercially active areas, making prolonged constraints at the substation capable of affecting a broad range of electricity consumers.
However, the LASERC findings suggest that completing the transmission upgrade alone may not be sufficient to deliver the expected improvement to end-users unless distribution infrastructure is upgraded at the same pace.
The Amuwo rehabilitation therefore illustrates the interconnected nature of Nigeria’s power supply chain, where improvements in generation and transmission capacity can still be constrained by inadequate distribution infrastructure and the ability of DisCos to take up available electricity.
With the rehabilitation now about 80 per cent complete, TCN said the remaining work is dependent largely on the arrival of the outstanding equipment from China, after which contractors can proceed with the final stage of the project.
