Management of Electrical Infrastructure for Industrial Zones: A Case Study of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos

This study analyses the management of electrical power infrastructure serving the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos State, South West Nigeria, with the objective of identifying operational challenges and recommending improvements relevant to similar industrial zone developments across Nigeria. The Lekki Free Trade Zone represents one of Nigeria's most ambitious industrial development projects, requiring highly reliable power supply to attract and retain the manufacturing, logistics, and technology tenants whose investment underpins the zone's economic rationale. The study employs a qualitative case study methodology, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 15 engineering and operations management staff from the LFTZ management company and selected tenant companies, review of the zone's power supply infrastructure documentation, and analysis of outage and fault records for a 12-month period. Findings reveal that the zone currently relies on a combination of an 18MW diesel power plant and a 33kV grid connection, with the grid connection providing less than 30 percent of total energy supply due to supply instability. Internal 11kV distribution system faults account for 22 percent of recorded outage events, with cable joint failures as the dominant fault mechanism. Planned maintenance of the diesel generation fleet experiences frequent deferrals due to spare parts procurement delays. Tenant satisfaction surveys indicate power reliability as the single largest grievance. Recommendations include procurement of a dedicated 132kV grid connection to reduce dependence on the diesel plant, establishment of a spare parts buffer stock programme, and deployment of advanced feeder automation on the internal 11kV network. Keywords: industrial zone, power infrastructure, LFTZ, reliability management, Lagos.