The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has stated that the national grid is not the weakest link in the country’s electricity supply chain, insisting that Nigeria currently has the capacity to transmit significantly more power than is being generated.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, made the clarification on Tuesday at a parliamentary and stakeholders’ summit on power sector reforms in Lagos.
According to him, Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure has improved considerably, with the current wheeling capacity now standing at 8,700 megawatts (MW), compared to the highest recorded generation and delivery of 5,801.84MW achieved on March 4, 2025.
“The implication is clear: the national grid can currently transmit significantly more power than has ever been generated and supplied to it,” Abdulaziz said.
He explained that while Nigeria has an installed generation capacity of 13,625MW, actual output remains far below potential, stressing that generation shortfalls—not transmission constraints—remain the major limitation to stable electricity supply.
On the same peak generation day, TCN reportedly wheeled all available electricity and recorded a daily energy delivery of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours.
Abdulaziz highlighted recent investments that have strengthened the transmission network, noting that the company expanded wheeling capacity from about 7,000MW to 8,700MW through government-backed interventions and support from international development partners.
He disclosed that between January 2024 and November 2025, TCN commissioned 82 transformers nationwide, adding about 8,500MVA of transformation capacity to the grid. Several transmission substations and line projects were also completed to improve stability and reliability.
The TCN boss further revealed that the company has secured over $1.4 billion in financing support from institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to drive ongoing expansion projects.
He also said work is advancing on a nationwide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system designed to improve real-time monitoring, fault detection, and future smart-grid operations.
Despite these gains, Abdulaziz acknowledged persistent challenges such as vandalism of transmission assets, encroachment on right-of-way corridors, funding gaps, foreign exchange pressures, and delays in land acquisition.
He emphasized that stabilising Nigeria’s electricity sector requires coordinated action across generation, gas supply, transmission, and distribution, alongside improved revenue collection and cost-reflective tariffs.
Abdulaziz expressed support for the Electricity Act 2023, describing it as a critical reform framework for building a more competitive and efficient power market, while urging the National Assembly to strengthen legal protection for critical infrastructure and ensure consistent implementation of sector reforms.
