TCN boosts wheeling capacity by 38% over 10 years

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has increased the country’s electricity transmission capacity from 5,000MW in 2015 to over 8,100MW in 2025, marking a 38 percent growth in a decade.

Oluwagbenga Ajiboye, TCN’s Transmission Service Provider, announced the milestone during a meeting with energy editors in Abuja.

He attributed the progress to strategic investments, donor-supported projects—such as the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project (NETAP)—and ongoing grid expansion initiatives.

Ajiboye highlighted that more than 30 transmission projects, including new substations and transmission lines, have added over 2,000MW of wheeling capacity.

The company has also energized 24 new power transformers, with a combined capacity of 2,538MW, and deployed an additional 16 transformers to strengthen the national grid.

Key projects in Abuja, including the New Apo (Pigba), Wumba-Lokogoma, Lugbe West, Kuje, and Gwarinpa substations, are nearing completion.

TCN has also introduced a modern Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for real-time monitoring, enhancing grid reliability and reducing downtime.

Ajiboye noted that Nigeria’s grid is now better integrated regionally through strengthened cross-border links with neighboring countries under the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

He also highlighted TCN’s digital transformation initiatives, including the use of IoT solutions to improve real-time visibility of generators and substations.

Under the leadership of Managing Director Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, TCN has modernized the national grid, completed multiple capital projects, upgraded aging infrastructure, and trained over 1,000 technical staff to meet the demands of a growing electricity network.

Notably, the national grid recorded an all-time peak of 5,802MW and remained collapse-free for 421 consecutive days from July 2022 to September 2023, underscoring the effectiveness of ongoing reforms and infrastructure upgrades.