KEY POINTS
- More than N10 trillion has been spent on power sector interventions since the 2013 privatisation.
- The government says 2.8 million customers have been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
- Transmission limitations, gas supply constraints and financial challenges continue to affect electricity delivery.
Nigeria’s federal government says more than N10 trillion has been committed to interventions in the power sector since the electricity industry was privatised in 2013, as the country works towards its ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Kenny Anuwe, managing director and chief executive of FGN Power Company Limited, disclosed the figure at the sixth annual conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja on Nov. 12. He said the government’s financial interventions had been necessary to prevent the electricity industry from collapsing, despite persistent challenges affecting generation, transmission and distribution.
Anuwe acknowledged that the scale of public spending had not translated into the level of electricity supply Nigerians expected. However, he argued that the industry would have faced a more severe crisis without government support.
FGN Power Company operates under the Presidential Power Initiative, which is designed to coordinate projects, structure commercial arrangements, secure financing and deliver additional electricity infrastructure.
Siemens projects and metering expansion
Anuwe said the company had worked with Siemens Energy on transmission infrastructure, although changes to the German firm’s operating model affected its ability to deliver certain distribution and transmission projects on a turnkey basis.
He said the pilot phase of the Siemens programme had been completed, while the first phase of transmission substations and lines was progressing despite delays. Most of the projects are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
The next batch of the Siemens programme is expected to cover 12 substations, subject to financing approvals targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. Together with special projects involving Omotosho substations, the developments are expected to deliver 3,400 megawatts.
Meanwhile, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe said more than 2.8 million customers had been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative since the Tinubu administration began.
He also disclosed that the government had approved a N3.3 trillion plan to settle verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies. Of that amount, N1.23 trillion had been raised.
Infrastructure remains a major constraint
Tegbe said the government was also supporting solar connections for universities, hospitals and rural communities, alongside construction of a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo.
However, PCAN Chairman Obas Esiedesa identified seasonal declines in electricity generation between November and March as a continuing concern. Reduced water inflows affect hydropower output, while gas supply constraints also limit thermal generation.
He called for stronger coordination among government, regulators, power companies and gas suppliers. Reliable electricity, he said, remains essential to industrial productivity and the country’s wider economic ambitions. Businessday NG
