…Fifteen power plants boost electricity generation in Q1—NERC report
…As FG delivers 300,000 meters under Presidential Initiative
By Yahaya Umar
As the Transmission Company of Nigeria ,TCN, begins a 25-day maintenance of the Omotosho – Ikeja West 330kV power line on Monday, there is pressing worry about its impact on productivity and business operations in Lagos State.
The TCN in a statement said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, and the National Independent System Operator ,NISO, have approved the “critical infrastructure upgrade”.
“The upgrade involves the installation of Optical Ground Wire ,OPGW, fibre cable on the Omotosho/Ikeja West 330kV transmission line, scheduled from July 28, 2025, to August 21, 2025 from 8 am to 5:pm”, the TCN said in a statement by its General Manager ,GM, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.
During the period, the agency said, “power will be restored through the line after each day’s work, all other circuits will remain operational to ensure a stable power supply to the Lagos complex during the exercise”.
It said the upgrade will “enable full operationalization of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition ,SCADA, system” and enhance the real-time monitoring and management of the power grid.
Meanwhile, the two electricity distribution companies operating in Lagos State: the Eko Electricity Distribution Company ,EKEDC, and the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company ,Ikeja Electric, have informed customers about the planned upgrade.
In separate public notices, both Discos said there will be “intermittent power supply” during the period.
EKEDC wrote: “Dear Valued Customer, Kindly be informed that there will be a planned outage by our partner, Transmission Company of Nigeria ,TCN.
Date: Monday, July 28 to Thursday, August, 21, 2025.
Time: 08:00 – 17:00 hrs (daily).
Reason: To enable works to be safely carried out on the Omotosho – Ikeja West 330kV power line.
Impact: Intermittent outage and load shedding across our network. Affected Areas: Across our network coverage”.
“Dear Esteemed Customer, please be informed that the Transmission Company of Nigeria ,TCN, will carry out scheduled maintenance on the Omotosho-Ikeja West 330kV transmission line from Monday, July 28, to Thursday, August 21, 2025, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM daily.
“During this period, customers may experience intermittent power supply and load shedding across our network due to the planned TCN outage”, Ikeja Electric said.
Despite this assurance, electricity users are dreading the development and its possible impact on work and business operations in the state.
For Doyin, a remote worker in Lagos, “It appears that they are serious about this thing and I am worried it will not allow me give my all. The cost of electricity is already high not to get anything right now.” “I just hope that this upgrade doesn’t mean blackout.
Meanwhile, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, said that fifteen power plants across the country recorded increased available generation capacities in the first quarter of 2025.
According to NERC’s Q1 2025 report, average available generation capacity rose by 69.99 megawatts (MW), from 5,296.89MW in Q4 2024 to 5,366.88MW in Q1 2025, an increase of 1.32%.
This growth was driven largely by the performance boost across fifteen of the country’s twenty-eight grid-connected power plants.
The plants include five hydro, two steam, nineteen Open Cycle Gas Turbine ,OCGT, and two Combined Cycle Gas Turbine ,CCGT, facilities.
The improved capacity had a ripple effect on actual power generation, with average hourly generation increasing by 563.18 megawatt-hours per hour (MWh/h), a 13.39% rise from 4,207.41MWh/h in Q4 2024 to 4,770.59MWh/h in Q1 2025.
Cumulatively, the total energy generated in the quarter stood at 10,304.47 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up by 10.92% (1,014.52GWh) from the 9,289.95GWh recorded in the previous quarter.
NERC attributed this growth not only to the improved plant capacities but also to increased energy offtake by grid-connected customers, including electricity distribution companies ,DisCos.
The commission also declared that it issued 55 licenses, permits and certifications in the quarter under review.
These include four off-grid generation licenses with a combined nameplate capacity of 66.49MW, one new electricity trading license, four Independent Electricity Distribution Network ,IEDN, licenses, and two embedded generation licenses.
The Commission also approved sixteen captive generation permits with a gross capacity of 952.64MW, along with seven mini-grid permits.
On metering, NERC said thirteen certifications were issued to Meter Service Providers, while eight permits went to Meter Asset Providers ,MAPs.
Nigeria recorded a $11.44m revenue shortfall from its six international bilateral customers in the first quarter of 2025.
The six international bilateral customers purchased electricity from Nigeria’s grid-connected Generation Companies ,GenCos, within the period under review.
NERC, in its 2025 first quarter report, stated that the six international bilateral customers paid only 33.70% of their total invoice in the first quarter of 2025, resulting in a significant shortfall of $11.44m.
The commission disclosed that the customers collectively remitted $5.80m out of the $17.2m invoiced to them by the Market Operator ,MO,for services rendered during the period.
“The remittance performance of the international bilateral customers stood at 33.70% in Q1 2025″, the report noted.
The international bilateral customers are Société Nigérienne d’Electricité ,NIGELEC, of Niger Republic, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo ,CEET, Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique ,SBEE, of Benin Republic, among others.
However, domestic bilateral customers showed a stronger commitment during the period, paying ₦1.86bn of the ₦2.57bn billed to them, representing a 72.24% remittance rate.
However, Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has disclosed that over 300,000 smart meters have been delivered to electricity consumers under the ₦700bn Presidential Metering Initiative.
Also, he said, an additional 3.45 million units are currently in the procurement pipeline.
A statement from the Federal Ministry of Power on Monday quoted Adelabu speaking during a high-level meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Association of Power Generation Companies ,APGC, at the Presidential Villa.
According to him, the smart metering programme is one of several milestones achieved by the administration since May 2023.
Adelabu listed others to include the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023, which liberalized the power market and empowers subnational governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
He said the initiative, launched as part of President Tinubu’s reforms to revitalise the sector, is aimed at closing Nigeria’s metering gap, improving billing accuracy, and reducing consumer disputes, while also boosting investor confidence.
The minister also stated that the FG launched the first Integrated National Electricity Policy in 24 years, which has attracted over $2bn in new capital for grid expansion and off-grid electrification, and grew annual sector revenue from ₦1tn in 2023 to ₦1.7tn in 2024.
This increase, Adelabu noted, had slashed government subsidy obligations by ₦700bn.
The minister also highlighted improvements in installed generation capacity, which has risen from 13,000MW to 14,000MW, alongside a record peak generation of 5,801MW and zero national grid collapses so far in 2025.
Adelabu, however, warned that the sector’s progress risks reversal if urgent action is not taken to address a crippling ₦4tn debt owed to power generation companies ,GENCOs, a legacy burden dating back to 2015.
He described the debt overhang as the biggest threat to the sector’s viability.
The Minister added that without immediate liquidity support, power plants may be forced to shut down, thereby crippling the economy and reversing the gains made under the current administration.
Adelabu appealed for partial payment to GENCOs while ongoing audits verify outstanding claims.
He affirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to transparency, noting that only validated debts would be honoured under the proposed ₦4tn bond programme, which has received anticipatory presidential approval.
Adelabu also backed calls by industry leaders Tony Elumelu and Kola Adesina for urgent action to resolve gas supply constraints, especially in the Afam axis, where unpaid gas suppliers have stifled generation.
He proposed leveraging 800 million standard cubic feet of gas from the Nigeria LNG ,NLNG, to stabilise the sector in the short term.
He reaffirmed that electricity remains central to Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda and urged stakeholders to exercise patience and work collaboratively to secure lasting reforms.
