NIGERIA · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, with about 238 million people, and its weak power grid forces many firms and homes onto diesel generators.
- —What happened Power Minister Joseph Tegbe launched transformers worth 544 megawatts (MW) at four Kano substations, Aminiya reported on Thursday 22 October 2026.
- —Where The equipment sits at the Walalambe, Dakata, Dan Agundi and Kumbotso substations, which feed Kano’s industrial districts and neighbourhoods.
- —The numbers Kano currently gets about 300MW, shared with neighbouring Jigawa State, while its demand is above 1,000MW, according to the Kano state government.
- —What kind of capacity The 544MW grid capacity is delivery capacity, meaning transformers that pass power on to customers, not a new power plant that makes electricity.
- —What it means for you Factories in Kano could face fewer outages if enough power reaches the substations, which matters for investors in Nigerian manufacturing and energy.
- —Still open No date was given for full load, or for how much extra electricity the national grid can supply to Kano.
Nigeria has new 544MW grid capacity in Kano, the biggest city in the country’s north, from transformers launched at four substations. Power Minister Joseph Tegbe led the launch, Aminiya, a Hausa-language newspaper published by Daily Trust, reported on Thursday 22 October 2026.
For US and other foreign investors, the news shows where Nigeria is spending to fix its grid, the main cost problem for factories. The upgrade raises the amount of power Kano’s substations can pass on, but it does not by itself add a single megawatt of generation.
What the Minister Launched in Kano
Tegbe, Nigeria’s minister of power, launched new power distribution equipment at the Walalambe, Dakata, Dan Agundi and Kumbotso substations in Kano. Aminiya says the combined 544MW grid capacity is meant to improve supply to residents and industry.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the state-owned operator of the national high-voltage grid, installed the equipment. TCN managing director Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz said the equipment would help reduce power shortages.
Station by Station: How 544MW Adds Up
At Walalambe, two transformers of 40 megavolt-amperes (MVA) each, at 132/33 kilovolts, give 64MW of distribution capacity. MVA is the rating of a transformer, and the megawatt figure is the part usable as real power.
Dakata and Dan Agundi each received one 100MVA transformer, worth 80MW apiece. Kumbotso, the largest site, got a 300MVA transformer at 330/132 kilovolts worth 240MW, plus a 100MVA unit worth 80MW.
Which Kano Districts Should Benefit
Tegbe said the equipment should improve supply to the Tokarawa, Eastern Bypass, Hadejia Road, Mariri, Jogana and Farm Centre industrial areas, and to nearby districts. Kano is northern Nigeria’s main trading and manufacturing hub, and its factories have long needed more power.
A dedicated 33-kilovolt line was set aside for Lee Group of Companies, a firm that the minister said ran 30 years without grid power. He asked residents near the substations to protect the equipment from damage.
Why Kano Has Been Short of Power
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, speaking through Energy Commissioner Gaddafi Sani, said the state receives only about 300MW, which it shares with Jigawa State. He put Kano’s own demand at more than 1,000MW because of its population and industry.
He called the project an important step for areas with too little power and urged closer cooperation between the federal Ministry of Power and TCN. The Emir of Kano, the city’s traditional ruler, was represented at the launch by Walin Kano Bashir Mahe Wali.
The 24-Hour Power Plan Behind the Launch
Tegbe said the federal government has picked three zones, Kano to Kaduna, Lagos and Enugu, for better electricity supply. Technical surveys are under way there, with the goal of electricity 24 hours a day.
The Rio Times covered the plan for 24-hour power zones on 1 October. Kano is one of the places that plan names.
What It Means for US Readers
American investors in Nigerian manufacturing and consumer goods pay dearly for unreliable power, so the 544MW grid capacity in Kano lowers one cost risk. Makers of transformers and grid equipment may also see steady demand from TCN and its funders.
The upgrade does not fix the wider supply gap that the Rio Times examined in its explainer on Nigeria’s power cuts. Without more gas for power plants and more generation, bigger transformers can only pass on the electricity that the national grid already has.
What Is Not Known
The report does not say what the equipment cost, who paid for it, or when each transformer starts carrying full load. It is also open how much of the 544MW grid capacity Kano can actually use while the national grid is short of generation.
No figure was given for the extra hours of supply that Kano residents and factories should expect. It is also unclear when the technical surveys in the three zones will end and what they will lead to.
More: Nigeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much new power capacity did Nigeria add in Kano?
Nigeria added 544MW grid capacity across four Kano substations, Aminiya reported on 22 October 2026. The figure is delivery capacity, not new electricity generation.
Which Kano substations received the new equipment?
The equipment went to the Walalambe, Dakata, Dan Agundi and Kumbotso substations. Kumbotso took the largest share, with 320MW of the total.
Does the 544MW grid capacity mean 544MW more electricity?
Not automatically, because transformers only pass on power that the national grid sends them. Kano’s government says the state gets about 300MW against demand above 1,000MW.
Who is Joseph Tegbe?
Tegbe is Nigeria’s minister of power, appointed by President Bola Tinubu and confirmed by the Senate. He launched the Kano equipment and is pushing 24-hour supply in three zones.
What is the Transmission Company of Nigeria?
TCN is the state-owned company that runs Nigeria’s high-voltage grid and its substations. It moves bulk power from plants to the distribution companies that serve customers.
Why does this matter for foreign investors?
Unreliable power forces Nigerian factories onto costly diesel generators. If the 544MW grid capacity brings steadier supply to Kano, operating costs there would fall.
Sources: The Rio Times, Nigeria 24-hour power zones, 1 October 2026; Aminiya, 22 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief