TCN boss identifies three steps to unlock Nigeria’s 13,000MW power potential

….,calls for increased generation, stronger transmission infrastructure, improved electricity market liquidity to boost power supply

By Onu Okorie

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. (Dr.) Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, has identified three critical interventions that could accelerate Nigeria’s drive towards achieving its electricity generation potential, emphasising the need to prioritise available and deliverable power over installed capacity.
Abdulaziz said the country’s electricity challenge extended beyond installed generation capacity, which exceeds 13,000 megawatts (MW), to include the availability of power plants, transmission constraints and commercial challenges affecting the electricity market.
He made this known while speaking at the 2026 Energy Conference and Exhibition held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, where he outlined measures to improve electricity supply and ensure that more power reaches consumers.
According to him, Nigeria must focus on restoring unavailable generation capacity, strengthening the transmission network and addressing liquidity challenges across the electricity value chain.
“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.
The TCN chief noted that although the country had installed generation capacity of more than 13,000MW, the electricity available to consumers remained significantly below that level.
He described closing the gap between installed capacity and actual electricity supply as the sector’s most urgent priority.
Gas Supply, Plant Maintenance Top Priorities
Abdulaziz identified the restoration of more generation capacity as the intervention capable of delivering the largest immediate improvement in electricity supply.
He called for dependable gas supply to power plants, predictable payment and commercial arrangements across the gas-to-power value chain, and coordinated maintenance programmes to minimise avoidable plant downtime.
He also urged stakeholders to translate existing policy frameworks, including the Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan and the National Integrated Electricity Policy, into measurable improvements in generation availability.
According to him, accountability should be tied to the additional megawatts made available to the grid rather than the number of policies or 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 maintained that restoring existing generation capacity could provide an immediate boost to electricity supply while longer-term investments in new infrastructure continued.
He stressed that effective coordination among gas suppliers, generation companies and other market participants would be essential to achieving this objective.
TCN Targets Transmission Bottlenecks
The second intervention, according to the TCN managing director, is to strengthen the transmission network to ensure that electricity generated can be evacuated reliably to distribution companies and delivered to consumers.
He disclosed that TCN had a simulated wheeling capacity of approximately 8,700MW, noting, however, that actual power evacuation depended on the availability of transmission lines and transformers, voltage and system stability limits, as well as the capacity of distribution companies to take up electricity.
Abdulaziz said the company had continued to expand its transformation capacity, installing 82 power transformers between January 2024 and November 2025.
The installations, he said, added approximately 8,500 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to the transmission network’s transformation capacity.
“Our responsibility is to maintain and strengthen the network while expanding its capability,” he said.
He listed critical network reinforcement and rehabilitation, improved availability of transmission lines and transformers, stronger protection systems and enhanced real-time monitoring as key areas of focus for the company.
He added that the effective use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Energy Management System (SCADA/EMS) tools would improve network visibility and support faster operational responses.
The TCN chief also emphasised the need for disciplined maintenance, quicker fault response and improved coordination among generation, transmission and distribution companies.
He explained that increasing generation alone would not guarantee improved electricity supply if transmission infrastructure could not accommodate and evacuate the additional power.
Similarly, he noted that the ability of distribution companies to receive electricity remained an important factor in determining how much power ultimately reached consumers.
Abdulaziz Seeks Solution to Electricity Market Liquidity
The third intervention is to address liquidity challenges and strengthen the commercial arrangements sustaining the electricity market.
Abdulaziz warned that improvements in generation and transmission infrastructure would not be sustainable without resolving payment shortfalls and strengthening the financial relationships among participants across the power sector.
He called for credible metering and energy accounting, transparent settlement systems, improved revenue collection and stronger enforcement of market obligations.
He also urged targeted regulatory decisions that would make contracts and payments more predictable across the electricity value chain.
“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.
The TCN chief maintained that a financially sustainable electricity market was essential to supporting gas supply, maintaining generation facilities and funding the operation and expansion of transmission infrastructure.
He said predictable commercial arrangements would help strengthen confidence among market participants and support more reliable electricity delivery.
Proposes 100-Day Implementation Scorecard
To accelerate implementation, Abdulaziz proposed a focused 100-day scorecard built around existing sector plans, with clearly defined responsibilities, deadlines and measurable outcomes.
He said the scorecard should monitor three key indicators: additional generation capacity made available, megawatts constrained by verified transmission network bottlenecks, and commercial actions required to sustain electricity supply.
According to him, each intervention should have a designated lead institution, a specific completion deadline and a measurable result to ensure accountability.
“The scorecard should track three outcomes: additional generation made available, megawatts constrained by verified network bottlenecks, and commercial actions required to sustain supply,” he said.
He explained that the proposed sequence was deliberate, beginning with restoring unavailable generation capacity, followed by removing transmission constraints and then addressing the commercial weaknesses affecting the sustainability of electricity supply.
“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,” Abdulaziz stated.
The proposal is intended to provide a practical framework for measuring progress and ensuring that existing policies translate into tangible improvements in electricity supply.
TCN Reaffirms Commitment to Network Expansion
Abdulaziz reaffirmed TCN’s commitment to operating a resilient transmission network, expanding electricity transfer capability and strengthening collaboration with other stakeholders across the power sector.
He said the country’s ability to move closer to its generation potential would depend on a coordinated approach that addresses technical and commercial constraints simultaneously.
The TCN chief stressed that installed generation capacity should not be treated as the ultimate measure of success, arguing that the priority must be the volume of electricity that can be generated, transmitted and sustained commercially.
“Nigeria will move closer to its generation potential when we stop treating installed capacity as the final measure of success and focus instead on megawatts that are available, deliverable and commercially sustainable,” he said. His recommendations place renewed emphasis on improving the performance of existing power assets, strengthening transmission infrastructure and resolving market challenges as immediate steps towards improving electricity supply across Nigeria.