The Federal Government has said it has no immediate plan to increase electricity tariffs, dismissing reports of an impending hike in electricity rates across the country.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while presenting his scorecard for his first 100 days in office.
Tegbe said electricity generation and transmission had risen above 5,000 megawatts (MW) in recent weeks, compared with between 3,700MW and 4,700MW before June 2026.
According to him, the sector recorded a generation peak of 5,330MW in August and September following interventions aimed at restoring damaged power infrastructure and improving the performance of existing facilities.
The minister, however, acknowledged that the increase in generation had not yet translated into reliable electricity supply for many Nigerians.
He said the immediate priority of the government was to sustain the gains recorded so far and ensure that improved generation and transmission capacity translated into more dependable electricity for consumers.
“Operational record reports show generation and transmission above 5,000MW over the past couple of weeks, compared to the 3,700 to 4,700MW range before June, and a generation peak of 5,330MW during August and September.
“Our next task is to sustain these gains and translate them into more dependable supply at customer level,” Tegbe said.
The minister said the 375MW Alaoji open-cycle power plant, which had remained inactive for three years, had been restored to the national grid.
He also disclosed that newly commissioned transformers at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki in Lagos had unlocked 672MW of transmission capacity.
Similarly, he said a new 300-megavolt-ampere (MVA) transformer energised at Katampe, Abuja, had added another 240MW to the transmission network.
Tegbe explained that the interventions were designed to recover stranded electricity capacity and strengthen power delivery to major areas of demand.
He added that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) had secured the release of more than 300 containers of critical power equipment that had been delayed at the ports.
According to him, the equipment would be inspected, deployed and installed to support ongoing upgrades to the national transmission network.
On electricity access, the minister said 62 solar and mini-grid projects had been completed across 30 states, delivering about 43.6MW of installed solar capacity and 41,735 new electricity connections.
He said the projects had an estimated reach of more than 208,000 beneficiaries.
Tegbe listed several initiatives being implemented through the Rural Electrification Agency, including a 3MW solar hybrid system recently commissioned at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.
Other projects, he said, include a 20MW off-grid project in Kogi State, a 3.5MW solar project in Kebbi State, a 5.5MW mini-grid in Epe, Lagos, and 39 mini-grids in Adamawa State with a combined capacity of nearly 27MW.
The minister also disclosed that the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) would oversee publicly financed renewable energy infrastructure and seek to mobilise N3 trillion in the coming years.
On the financial challenges confronting the sector, Tegbe said the government had raised an estimated N1.23 trillion towards settling outstanding power-sector debts as part of a broader programme addressing about N3.3 trillion in liabilities.
He said the move was expected to improve liquidity across the electricity value chain and strengthen operators’ ability to maintain infrastructure and meet their financial obligations.
The minister further disclosed that the government had taken steps to block revenue leakages linked to energy theft and other losses along the Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor, which he estimated at about N120 billion annually.
He said improved billing, collection and remittance would help preserve funds needed to sustain electricity infrastructure and service delivery.
On metering, Tegbe said about 350,000 meters had been installed during his first 100 days in office, taking cumulative installations to 1,004,260 as of August 2026.
He added that the resolution of the AMMON litigation had cleared the way for the procurement of about 1.4 million smart meters under affected programmes.
According to him, metering of military formations was also progressing, with 90,000 installations recorded, while 5,000 young Nigerians were being trained as smart-meter installers under the Power Force programme.
Tegbe reiterated that the government had no immediate plan to increase electricity tariffs, saying the focus remained on stabilising the sector and improving service delivery.
He said the next phase of the reform programme would prioritise key transmission corridors, including Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano, alongside plans to develop the proposed Transmission Super Grid.
The minister said technical audits had commenced along the Lagos and Abuja corridors to identify weak points and guide investments towards projects capable of producing measurable improvements in the power system.
He also said the government would pursue bilateral arrangements between generation and distribution companies to improve capacity utilisation and provide greater payment certainty.
On future investments, Tegbe disclosed that engagements with Chinese companies had resulted in commitments to accelerate priority power projects, including the 1.9-gigawatt Presidential Power Initiative.
He said the first transmission lines under the initiative were scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2027.
Tegbe added that the government would continue efforts to strengthen grid protection and control systems, improve gas supply to power plants, and tackle vandalism and electricity theft.
While acknowledging that the national generation peak did not necessarily reflect the electricity experience of every community, the minister said the government would measure progress through improved supply reliability, billing accuracy, and faster resolution of faults and consumer complaints.
He said the government would use the next six months to translate the repairs and reforms already undertaken into more noticeable improvements in electricity supply across the country.
Comments
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
Login Required
Please login to join the conversation and post a comment.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this story.