Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, Nigeria’s largest privately owned hydropower operator, has started building two new 330-kilovolt transmission bays at the Kainji substation. The project began following a site handover by the Transmission Company of Nigeria on June 5.

The new infrastructure will enable the company to transmit 220 megawatts of electricity from its 1G3 and 1G4 generating units into the national grid. This is expected to improve grid stability and reduce the frequency of blackouts affecting households and businesses across Nigeria.

Transmission project targets grid bottlenecks

This expansion is a significant financial commitment for Mainstream as the company works to increase its share of the local power market. By fixing bottlenecks around the Kainji plant, the operator ensures that the electricity it produces actually reaches the consumers who pay for it.

For Nigerian manufacturers and other large industrial users, greater power availability on the national grid could help reduce dependence on costly diesel-powered generation. Expanding transmission capacity remains as important as adding new generation facilities, ensuring that electricity produced can be delivered efficiently to homes and businesses across the country.

The expansion shows Mainstream’s focus on long-term infrastructure growth through partnerships with state agencies. The investment fits into broader national efforts to fix the country’s struggling electricity supply chain and support commercial growth.

When completed, the two new transmission lines will fully integrate the extra 220 megawatts into the national network. The project cements Mainstream’s position as the dominant private player in a country where electricity demand routinely outstrips actual supply.

Mainstream hydro plants drive Nigeria’s power

Founded in 2011, Mainstream took control of the Kainji and Jebba hydro plants in November 2013 under a concession agreement with the federal government. The two dams, located 100 kilometers apart on the Niger River, have a combined total capacity of 1,338.4 megawatts.

Kainji opened as Nigeria’s first hydro plant in 1968, while Jebba started operations in 1985. When Mainstream took over the facilities in 2013, actual output had dropped to just 482 megawatts, and the entire Kainji plant was completely offline due to years of poor maintenance.

Since the takeover, Mainstream has repaired the turbines to bring total output back up to 1,178.4 megawatts. The company now generates about 25 percent of Nigeria’s total electricity supply, operating under a local board of directors and a traditional corporate management team.