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ABUJA – The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on Tuesday, challenged the widely held perception that the country’s transmission network is the major bottleneck in the power sector, declaring that the national grid currently has the capacity to transmit far more electricity than is being generated.
Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, made the assertion on Tuesday at the ongoing four-day Parliamentary/ Stakeholders’ Engagement Summit on Power Sector Reforms in Lagos, where he presented what he described as evidence of significant improvements in the nation’s transmission infrastructure.
Addressing lawmakers, ministers, regulators and industry stakeholders, Abdulaziz said available data shows that generation constraints, rather than transmission limitations, remain the principal challenge confronting Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.
According to him, while Nigeria’s installed generation capacity stands at 13,625 megawatts, the highest power ever generated and delivered to the national grid was 5,801.84MW, recorded on March 4, 2025.
On the same day, he noted, TCN successfully wheeled the entire volume of generated electricity and recorded a historic daily energy delivery of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours.
He said the company’s current wheeling capacity has risen to 8,700MW, indicating that the transmission network can accommodate significantly higher electricity volumes than are presently being supplied by generating companies.
“The implication is clear,” Abdulaziz told participants. “The national grid can currently transmit significantly more power than has ever been generated and supplied to it.”
The TCN chief used the summit to showcase the company’s recent achievements, arguing that the transmission segment has made measurable progress despite persistent challenges across the power value chain.
He disclosed that TCN expanded its wheeling capacity from about 7,000MW to 8,700MW through strategic investments backed by the Federal Government and international development partners.
Between January 2024 and November 2025, the company commissioned 82 transformers across the country, adding approximately 8,500MVA of transformation capacity to the national grid.
The period also witnessed the completion of several substations and transmission line projects aimed at improving grid stability, reliability and operational flexibility.
Abdulaziz further revealed that TCN has secured more than $1.4 billion in development financing from international partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to fund transmission expansion and modernization projects.
He added that the company is also advancing the deployment of a nationwide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which is expected to provide real-time monitoring of grid operations, improve fault management and lay the foundation for future smart-grid development.
Despite the progress, the TCN boss acknowledged that several obstacles continue to slow the pace of power sector growth.
Among the major concerns he identified were vandalism of transmission infrastructure, encroachment on transmission rights-of-way, inadequate funding for critical projects, foreign exchange pressures, and delays associated with land acquisition and community-related issues.
He also stressed that increasing electricity supply to consumers would require coordinated investments across the entire value chain, including gas supply, power generation and distribution networks.
Abdulaziz argued that the long-term sustainability of the sector depends on a financially viable electricity market supported by improved revenue collection, stronger payment discipline, cost-reflective tariffs and a stable regulatory environment capable of attracting investment.
The TCN chief expressed strong support for ongoing power sector reforms under the Electricity Act 2023, describing the legislation as a critical framework for building a more competitive and efficient electricity market.
He urged the National Assembly to strengthen legal protection for critical electricity infrastructure, establish a nationally consistent right-of-way framework, ensure adequate funding for priority transmission projects and support full implementation of the Electricity Act.
According to him, Nigeria’s electricity challenges are not the result of a single weak link but require coordinated action across generation, gas supply, transmission and distribution.
Abdulaziz maintained that TCN has demonstrated its readiness to play its role, insisting that the transmission grid is expanding, modernising and prepared to support higher electricity delivery as other segments of the industry improve.
“Reliable electricity requires a sector-wide approach,” he said, adding that sustained political will, coordinated action and effective implementation of existing plans would be crucial to unlocking Nigeria’s full power potential.
He reaffirmed TCN’s commitment to collaborating with government, regulators, investors and other stakeholders to build a stronger and more resilient national grid capable of supporting economic growth and industrial development.
