TCN boss lists three ways to improve power supply
0
0
TCN boss lists three ways to improve power supply
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, has identified increased power generation, improved transmission infrastructure and reforms to the electricity market as three priority interventions needed to improve electricity supply in the country.
Abdulaziz made this known at the 2026 Energy Conference and Exhibition held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, where he called for a shift from measuring electricity performance by installed capacity to the amount of power available and delivered to consumers.
He said Nigeria had installed generation capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts, but actual electricity supply remained significantly below that level.
“Nigeria’s electricity challenge is not simply a question of how much generation capacity has been installed. It is whether that capacity is available, can be dispatched, can be carried reliably through the network, and can be sustained by a functioning commercial market,” he said.
READ ALSO: NITDA seeks affordable internet, backs 95,000km fibre rollout
The TCN chief identified restoring unavailable generation capacity as the first priority, urging stakeholders to ensure dependable gas supply, predictable payment arrangements across the gas-to-power value chain and coordinated maintenance to reduce avoidable power plant downtime.
He said existing policy frameworks, including the Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan and the National Integrated Electricity Policy, should translate into measurable improvements in electricity generation.
According to him, the performance of the sector should be assessed by the additional megawatts made available to the grid and delivered to consumers rather than the number of plans developed.
“Progress should be measured not by the number of plans produced, but by how much additional electricity becomes available to the grid and reaches consumers,” he said.
Abdulaziz listed strengthening transmission infrastructure as the second intervention, noting that the TCN had a simulated wheeling capacity of approximately 8,700MW.
He explained that the actual evacuation of electricity depended on the availability of transmission lines and transformers, voltage and system stability limits, as well as the capacity of distribution companies to receive power.
The managing director disclosed that the company installed 82 power transformers between January 2024 and November 2025, adding approximately 8,500 megavolt-amperes of transformation capacity.
He said the TCN was undertaking network reinforcement and rehabilitation, improving the availability of transmission lines and transformers, strengthening protection systems and deploying supervisory control and data acquisition and energy management systems to improve real-time monitoring.
“Our responsibility is to maintain and strengthen the network while expanding its capability,” he said.
Abdulaziz added that disciplined maintenance, faster responses to faults and better coordination among generation, transmission and distribution companies were necessary to improve electricity delivery.
The third priority, he said, was addressing liquidity challenges in the electricity market to ensure that technical improvements could be sustained.
He called for credible metering and energy accounting, transparent settlement arrangements, improved revenue collection and enforcement of market obligations.
“This requires credible metering and energy accounting, transparent settlement, improved collection, enforcement of market obligations, and targeted regulatory decisions that make contracts and payments predictable,” he said.
To accelerate implementation, the TCN boss proposed a 100-day scorecard based on existing sector plans, with measurable targets covering additional generation, electricity constrained by verified transmission bottlenecks and commercial measures required to sustain supply.
He said every action should have an identified lead institution, a deadline and a measurable outcome.
“The ranking is deliberate: first, unlock generation that is currently unavailable; second, remove network constraints that prevent available power reaching consumers; and third, repair the commercial arrangements that sustain both,” he said.
Abdulaziz reaffirmed the TCN’s commitment to strengthening the transmission network, expanding its capacity and improving collaboration across the electricity value chain.
He said Nigeria would move closer to its generation potential by prioritising electricity that was available, deliverable and commercially sustainable rather than relying solely on installed capacity as a measure of progress.
The conference featured exhibitions by major players in the energy industry and was attended by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe; the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, who represented the state governor; the Group President of SkipperSeil Group, Jitender Kumar Sachdeva; and other industry leaders, investors, development partners and stakeholders.
