The 624MW Abuja Feeder Ring project, a key initiative to improve electricity transmission in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is 91 per cent complete but faces delays due to right-of-way issues, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) officials reported during a recent site inspection.
Launched in 2021 under the federal government’s power sector roadmap, the project forms part of the broader Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), funded through a €486 million loan from the German government via KfW Development Bank and the European Investment Bank. Managed by the TCN in collaboration with Siemens Energy, the project aims to create a ring network linking multiple 330kV/132kV substations around Abuja, evacuating up to 624MW from the Lafia transmission hub to high-demand areas.
LEADERSHIP checks showed commencement followed contract awards in late 2020, with construction ramping up in 2021 amid efforts to address Abuja’s chronic supply gaps, where demand often exceeds 1,000MW but supply hovers below 500MW.
TCN’s executive director, Transmission Service Provider (TSP), Dr Olugbenga Ajiboye, who during the on-site assessment said that overall the project was at 91 per cent completion, added that he could not provide a timeline for the completion date because the company was contained by Right-of-way (RoW) disputes which has stalled the progress of the work.
“The generally, we are not where we expected to be by now because we are so constrained. Especially here in Apo Substation, the line route has been constrained. And we are working around the clock to make sure it’s free to be able to achieve it.”
Ajiboye said that progress varied by site, noting that two substations were ready for energisation, pending resolution at the central Lot 3A substation which should supply energy to the two completed ones.
“Because of the delay we have here (Apo Substation), we cannot get supply to Wumba, which is very close to us here and then to Kuje.
“The moment we are able to resolve the problem here, Wumba and Kuje will get supply,” he said.
“We will concentrate more on freeing the constraint we have right now from the right-of-way disputes to be able to put this place in.”
The TCN said it anticipated government’s support to resolve the disputes, enabling completion and integration into the national grid to support Abuja’s growing energy demands.
He appealed to the federal government to intervene so that the issue can be resolved amicably so the project can make progress.
“It’s unfortunate that Nigerians don’t see things as useful to both of us. So many people are so determined that we will not pass where the lines through where they are supposed to pass. And there are some powerful people. We appeal to the people in government to please help us to appeal to them so that we can go through those routes and be able to get supply here,” he appealed.
Ajiboye said the tour allowed him to collect first-hand evidence for escalation. “I’ve been hearing and we have been discussing in office the percentage of the work that needs to be done. So for me to come down, I want to see specifically for myself so that I can know how to impress on my principal to go above to be able to meet the people in power to discuss this issue with them,” he added.
Overall, the project stands at 91 per cent completion, capable of delivering 624 megawatts when fully operational.
When asked for completion timelines, Ajiboye said, “That is a difficult thing right now. Until we resolve the right-of-way issue, we cannot give timeline. Because it’s after that we will know the months it will take us to be able to erect the tower and string the lines.”
Giving a technical perspective, the managing director, Oska-Jo & Partners Limited, Dr Anthony Ehi-Uujamhan, said that the Kuje (Lot 5A) features “a 3 by 60 MVA substation radiating with 9 feeders; Wumba (Lot 5B) is “a 2 by 60 MVA substation.” The central Lot 3 encompasses 3A at Old Apo with bay extensions, linking to Lafia for inbound supply.
Power distribution includes a 5.1km underground link from Lot 3A to Wumba, also serving Old Apo and Kuje.
“We have about 13 by 60 MVA transformers on the entire central part of the Abuja feeding scheme project. And that itself would give us approximately about 624 MW of power,” Uuajamah stated.
The Abuja Feeder Ring project also includes the Gwarinpa 132/33kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS), commissioned in November 2022, which sits in the densely populated Dawaki area, having a 2x60MVA power transformers amounting to 96MW added to the grid.
The TCN said that faced with space constraints in an already developed community, it adopted the compact GIS technology over conventional air-insulated systems. The substation has six 33kV feeders expected to be transmitting power via AEDC to communities in Dawaki, Gwarinpa, Dutsen Alhaji, and Life Camp.
However, the TCN said to date, only three of the six feeders are currently utilised by the DisCo, limiting the substation’s capacity to only delivering 60MW. This leaves a substantial unutilised capacity waiting to be tapped as demand in these communities inevitably rises.
