The Federal Government has announced plans to increase its power transmission capacity from 8,500 megawatts to 10,000MW by 2026 to enhance electricity supply and grid efficiency across the country.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulaziz, disclosed this to State House Correspondents during the Meet-the-Press Programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
Abdulaziz revealed that Nigeria recorded its highest-ever peak power generation of 5,801.84MW on March 4, 2025, which was transmitted to distribution load centres nationwide.
He noted that with the current transmission evacuation capacity at 8,500MW, TCN is on track to achieve 10,000MW in less than two years.
“We have a capacity of 8500MW as of today; by the end of next year, our capacity will reach 10,000MW.
“With the numerous TCN transmission projects completed in the last two years and new ones currently underway, as well as the 8,500MW current evacuation capability of the company, I can confidently state that in less than two years from now, the Transmission Company of Nigeria will conveniently evacuate 10,000MW generated power,” the TCN Chief noted.
Abdulaziz further noted that the World Bank-sponsored projects have added 6,000MVA of transmission capacity to the grid, with an additional 3,000MVA in progress.
Other ongoing projects include the new Kano-Kaduna 330kV DC transmission line, the Zaria 330kV substation, and the 132kV substation in Jaji, Kaduna State, funded by the African Development Bank.
He said the Presidential Power Initiative under FGN Power Company, aka the SIEMENS project, has also delivered 10 mobile substations, seven of which have been installed, alongside 10 transformers of various ratings connected to the grid.
“The FGN power company is the Special Purpose vehicle for implementing the Presidential Power Initiative. Having completed the pilot phase of the Siemens project with the installation of the transformers, Phase 1B of the project has been approved by the FEC for the reinforcement of seven existing transmission substations,” said the MD.
Abdulaziz clarified that while TCN does not directly manage the project, FGN Power Company, a sister agency, is overseeing its execution.
Under Phase 1A, Siemens has already supplied and installed seven out of 10 mobile substations, along with 10 additional transformers. The next phase, Phase 1B, will reinforce existing transmission substations, further increasing Nigeria’s power transmission capacity. He disclosed that future phases of the project are already being considered.”
He argued that strengthening grid reliability has caused the TCN to develop the Generation Load Drop Sensitivity system, which prevents cascading failures in the absence of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system.
He also revealed that the ongoing SCADA project, currently 69 per cent completed, will further improve real-time monitoring and grid efficiency upon completion.
Abdulaziz explained, “Our progress is also evident in the 76.47 per cent reduction in grid disturbances over the past five years. However, to enable us to manage the grid in the absence of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition in place, we developed the Generation Load Drop Sensitivity system, which detects and responds to sudden drops in power generation, preventing cascading failures.
“Additionally, all our substations have now been fully digitised and automated. We equally deployed an in-house Internet of Things solution to improve the visibility of power generators. This successfully expanded the visibility of power stations from 6 to 27 locations.
“This is being used as a stop-gap solution until the ongoing SCADA project funded by the World Bank is completed. The SCADA project is about 69 per cent completed, and on completion, it will enhance real-time monitoring and improve grid management and efficiency.”
He added that the system, which is being funded under the World Bank’s NETAP program worth $486m, will enable real-time monitoring of the national grid, allowing authorities to swiftly detect faults and improve response time.
Once SCADA is fully implemented, operators will no longer need to manually track faults or depend on phone calls to determine the status of grid infrastructure,” he said.
Regarding renewable energy integration, the TCN boss confirmed that the FG is implementing solar power projects in all 19 northern states, leveraging the region’s abundant sunlight.
Each state is expected to generate 100MW of solar power, which will be gradually integrated into the national grid.
Last October, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the FG secured the commitment of several contractors and financiers willing to invest between $1bn to $2bn to install 50MW in each of the 19 northern states.
It said that when operational, these solar plants will leverage the region’s high sunlight exposure and reduce the load on the struggling national grid.
Speaking on Thursday, however, Abdulaziz clarified that only 10 per cent of total generation can be sourced from solar power without destabilising the grid.
“So far, our studies have shown that we can only put 10 per cent of the load we have. This means that if we are generating 5000MW, and we have 5000MW on the grid,10 per cent of that is 500MW.
“So we can only add 500MW from solar for us to have stability in the grid. But if we try to add something more than that, it may cause a disturbance in the grid,” he stated.
Addressing the state of Nigeria’s transmission network, Abdulaziz acknowledged that the national grid is old and needs continuous upgrades.
He stressed that upgrading the grid requires substantial investment, but due to competing priorities in health, education, and other sectors, the government can only implement the process gradually. To tackle ageing infrastructure, the TCN Boss revealed that the company had created a database to track all transmission equipment, ensuring timely replacements and maintenance.
Also, discussions are ongoing with Chinese investors interested in developing a Super Grid, he revealed.
The new transmission network, Abdulaziz said, would allow power to be redirected instantly in case of a fault, ensuring an uninterrupted electricity supply.
“The proposal is currently undergoing presidential approval, after which it will proceed to the Ministry of Finance for finalisation,” he added.
