Daniel Adaji
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has thrown its weight behind the 350-megawatt Abuja Independent Power Project being developed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), describing it as a critical building block toward achieving Nigeria’s target of 8,500 megawatts on the national grid by the end of 2026.
In a statement issued on Thursday, NISO said the project would play a key role in strengthening power supply to the Federal Capital Territory and its environs, while also supporting broader efforts to stabilise and diversify electricity generation nationwide.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Engr. Abdul Bello, made the remarks during an on-site assessment visit to the Abuja IPP location, where he led a high-level management team to review progress on the project.
According to the statement, Bello described the ongoing 350MW NNPC Abuja Independent Power Project as “a vital step toward achieving the national target of 8,500MW grid generation capacity by the end of 2026.”
During the visit, the NISO delegation assessed the current stage of construction and highlighted areas where closer collaboration among stakeholders could help fast-track completion and ensure timely commissioning of the plant.
The team also inspected the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) implementation site at the Gwagwalada transmission substation, a core component of ongoing reforms aimed at improving grid management and system visibility.
NISO said it was confident that “before the end of 2026, the full electricity value chain, from generation through transmission to distribution will be integrated into a unified SCADA platform,” a development it noted would enable real-time visibility, improved grid monitoring, and enhanced system reliability and stability.
Once completed, the Abuja IPP is expected to significantly boost electricity supply to the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring areas, while reducing reliance on distant generation sources and strengthening overall grid resilience.
The system operator reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with NNPC, as well as transmission and distribution stakeholders, to ensure that both the power plant and the SCADA rollout are delivered within schedule and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s power sector objectives, the statement added.
