FG uncovers companies stealing 150MW of electricity daily in Lagos
The federal government has uncovered companies in Lagos State allegedly drawing as much as 150 megawatts of electricity daily through illegal connections to the national grid, threatening to recover unpaid charges from the firms.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the companies connected their factories directly to the grid without authorisation from the electricity distribution companies responsible for their areas.
Speaking at an energy forum in Lagos, Tegbe said the government discovered the alleged electricity theft while working to address power supply challenges along the Lagos corridor.
He said the government would pursue the companies and recover charges for electricity consumed illegally, describing the practice as a major source of losses in the power sector.
“I need to fix Lagos. In the middle of trying to fix Lagos, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, do you know there are some people that are also directly connecting factories to the grid, taking as much as 150 megawatts every day? That’s energy theft,” the minister said.
“We’re going after those companies. We’ll collect back charges from them, and we’ll make sure that the technical loss factor in the grid is reduced.”
The minister did not identify the companies involved.
Beyond electricity theft, Tegbe faulted the allocation of investments in the power sector, disclosing that development finance institutions had committed about $18bn to the industry.
