TCN rejects claims of transmission grid constraints

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has refuted assertions that its transmission network is the main impediment to enhancing electricity supply in the country. TCN Managing Director and CEO, Sule Abdulaziz, stated on Monday that the national grid currently possesses the capacity to transmit 8,700 megawatts, a figure significantly higher than the peak electricity generation and delivery ever recorded.

Abdulaziz argued that industry data contradicts the common perception of transmission as the weakest link in Nigeria's electricity sector. He highlighted that while Nigeria's total installed generation capacity is 13,625MW, the highest electricity volume ever generated and delivered to the grid was 5,801.84MW on March 4, 2025. On the same day, TCN achieved a record by transmitting 128,370.75 megawatt-hours within a 24-hour period.

"The conclusion these figures compel is unambiguous," Abdulaziz asserted during a Parliamentary and Stakeholders’ Engagement Summit on Power Sector Reforms in Nigeria. "Nigeria’s national transmission grid today has the capacity to wheel 8,700MW, yet the highest volume of electricity ever generated and delivered to that grid has never exceeded 5,801.84MW. The transmission network has consistently wheeled every megawatt made available to it. Our grid has the capacity and our operators have the competence. The transmission network of Nigeria is ready."

He further explained that the TCN has boosted the nation's bulk power wheeling capacity from approximately 7,000MW to 8,700MW through infrastructure investment, engineering improvements, and support from the Federal Government and international partners. Abdulaziz indicated that actual electricity dispatch remains lower than installed capacity due to challenges affecting the entire electricity value chain, not solely transmission.

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The conclusion these figures compel is unambiguous. Nigeria’s national transmission grid today has the capacity to wheel 8,700MW, yet the highest volume of electricity ever generated and delivered to that grid has never exceeded 5,801.84MW. The transmission network has consistently wheeled every megawatt made available to it. Our grid has the capacity and our operators have the competence. The transmission network of Nigeria is ready.