Lagos commissioner outlines plans to end blackout culture
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government on Monday unveiled plans to establish a 24-hour electricity market driven by private sector investment, smart metering and independent power generation across the state.
The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, disclosed this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, where he outlined the achievements and strategic direction of the ministry under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Ogunleye said the reforms followed the implementation of the Lagos State Electricity Law 2024, which he described as a major step towards making Lagos the leading subnational electricity market in Africa.
According to him, the administration aims to achieve between 95 and 100 percent grid availability, full metering penetration and single-digit energy losses by 2030 through strong regulation, investor-friendly policies and independent power generation.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission had begun licensing operators, enforcing regulatory standards and strengthening consumer protection, with 14 licences and permits already issued to compliant operators.
The commissioner added that the state would commence a 100 percent metering initiative from July 2026 and was developing an Artificial Intelligence-powered monitoring system known as the Electric Eye of Lagos to provide real-time visibility across electricity trading and power delivery activities.
Ogunleye said Lagos currently has 12 Independent Power Producers under regulation, with seven already operating commercially, while strategic infrastructure projects such as the 37.7-kilometre Badagry electricity corridor are being developed to improve reliability and industrial growth.
In the oil and gas sector, he said Lagos was expanding clean transportation through compressed natural gas and electric vehicle infrastructure, revealing that 244 vehicles had already been converted to CNG, 17 CNG stations would become operational before the end of 2026, and more than 80,000 households now have access to cleaner cooking energy through the state’s LPG expansion programme.
