FG adds 544MW to Kano grid with four new substations
- Four transmission substations have been commissioned in Kano, adding 544MW of wheeling capacity to the state and the national grid.
- The projects at Walalambe, Kumbotso, Dakata and Dan-Agundi are expected to ease pressure on overloaded facilities and serve unmet demand.
- The Rural Electrification Agency also switched on two solar mini-grids in Kano communities that had been without power for over 16 years.
Kano has gained four new transmission substations, which the Federal Ministry of Power says will add 544 megawatts of wheeling capacity to the state and the national grid.
The projects were built by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) together with the Kano State Government. They sit at Walalambe, Kumbotso, Dakata and Dan-Agundi.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe commissioned them on Thursday, according to a statement from his media aide, Adeola Labzy. The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mahmuda Mamman, TCN Managing Director Sule Abdulaziz and the Kano State Commissioner for Energy were also present.
For residents and businesses, the hope is steadier bulk supply to industrial, commercial and residential areas. The ministry said the new facilities will take pressure off substations that have been carrying more load than they should, and open room for demand that has gone unmet.
What each site adds
- Walalambe: a new 80MW substation with two 40MVA transformers. Six outgoing feeders will serve the Tokarawa Industrial Area, Eastern Bypass, Maiduguri Road, Hadejia Road and nearby communities.
- Kumbotso: 330kV infrastructure with 300MVA and 100MVA transformers.
- Dakata and Dan-Agundi: each gets an extra 100MVA transformer at the 132kV level.
The Dan-Agundi work matters especially because a fire had damaged that substation. With capacity restored, it can again serve Kano's ancient town, the Emir's Palace and surrounding communities.
The ministry also said Lee Group, a large industrial firm, has been reconnected to the grid after more than 30 years running on its own power.
Tegbe said the job of his ministry is to put in place infrastructure that lets businesses thrive, and he asked host communities to guard the facilities against vandals. Abdulaziz made the same appeal, urging residents to respect transmission right-of-way corridors and report suspicious activity around the equipment.
One caveat: extra transmission capacity does not by itself mean more light in homes. What consumers actually receive also depends on how much power is generated, how well distribution networks cope and whether the wider grid can carry it.
Mini-grids for two communities
Separately, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) commissioned two mini-grids in Kano, ending more than 16 years without power for the communities involved.
The systems are a 195kWp plant in Ballagaza and a 70kWp plant in Marayar Rogo, in Warawa. The agency said they will serve 2,222 households.
REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu said private firm Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited put up its own money to build and will run the mini-grids, while government subsidised part of the cost through the DARES programme, which is backed by the World Bank. He thanked Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for supporting the project.
Aliyu said the DARES programme is working towards 1,350 mini-grids nationwide and has already reached more than five million Nigerians with new or better electricity.
