The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has increased its wheeling capacity from 5,000 megawatts in 2015 to 8,100 megawatts in 2024, marking a 38 percent rise over ten years.
The figure was released during a session with energy editors in Abuja by Oluwagbenga Ajiboye of TCN’s Transmission Service Provider division.
Ajiboye said the improvement resulted from strategic investments and support from development partners, including the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electricity Transmission Project. He stated that donor-backed projects and internal upgrades enabled TCN to expand the national grid and improve power evacuation capacity.
He reported that TCN has completed more than 30 transmission projects nationwide within the period, adding over 2,000 megawatts of new wheeling capacity through new substations and upgraded transmission lines. He said the company also energized 24 power transformers, delivering 3,100.5 MVA, equal to 2,538 megawatts, to the national grid.
Ajiboye confirmed that three large transformers with a combined 510 MVA capacity have been delivered to three substations and are undergoing installation. He added that TCN has stocked 16 additional power transformers to reinforce its transmission infrastructure.
He outlined ongoing work on Abuja ring projects, noting average completion levels of 90 percent across major substations in New Apo, Wumba–Lokogoma, Lugbe West, and Kuje. He said the Gwarinpa substation and a five-kilometre underground cable link were completed earlier with donor support.
Ajiboye said TCN has begun deploying a modern SCADA system to improve real-time grid monitoring and reduce downtime. He also highlighted the training of more than 1,000 technical staff in two years to strengthen human capacity for grid operations.
He said TCN has reinforced regional transmission links under the West African Power Pool, citing a recent successful test run synchronising Nigeria’s grid with neighbouring countries. He noted that the company recorded several generation peaks, including an all-time high of 5,802 megawatts, and maintained grid stability for 421 days between July 2022 and September 2023.
He added that before the company’s unbundling, TCN advanced its digital transformation through the Nigerian Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion, and Rehabilitation Program. The initiative upgraded TCN’s portal, introduced internal digital tools, and deployed an IoT-based system to supply near real-time data to the National Control Centre, improving grid visibility across generators and substations.
