By Stella Odueme
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. (Dr.) Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, has identified three key interventions needed to bridge Nigeria’s electricity supply gap and maximise the country’s power generation potential.
Abdulaziz said the priorities were to restore unavailable generation capacity, strengthen transmission infrastructure and address liquidity challenges in the electricity market.
He made this known while speaking at the 2026 Energy Conference and Exhibition held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, where he stressed that Nigeria’s electricity challenges extended beyond its installed generation capacity of over 13,000 megawatts (MW).
According to him in a statement on Thursday, the critical issue is ensuring that installed capacity translates into electricity that is available, can be transmitted reliably and is commercially sustainable.
He explained that although the country has substantial installed generation capacity, the electricity reaching consumers remains significantly below that level.
The TCN chief identified restoring more generation capacity as the first priority, calling for reliable gas supply, predictable payments across the gas-to-power value chain and coordinated maintenance 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.
Abdulaziz maintained that progress should be assessed by the additional electricity delivered to the grid and ultimately supplied to consumers rather than the number of plans developed.
On transmission infrastructure, he disclosed that TCN has a simulated wheeling capacity of approximately 8,700MW, noting that actual power evacuation depends on the availability of transmission lines and transformers, voltage stability and the capacity of distribution companies to receive electricity.
He further revealed that the company installed 82 power transformers between January 2024 and November 2025, adding approximately 8,500 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to its transformation capacity.
He said TCN would continue to prioritise critical network reinforcement and rehabilitation, improve the availability of transmission lines and transformers, strengthen protection systems and enhance real-time monitoring through its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition/Energy Management System (SCADA/EMS).
The managing director also emphasised the importance of regular maintenance, prompt fault response and improved coordination among generation, transmission and distribution companies.
Addressing the electricity market's financial challenges, Abdulaziz said technical improvements alone would not guarantee sustainable power supply without resolving liquidity constraints and payment shortfalls.
He called for credible metering and energy accounting, transparent settlement processes, improved revenue collection, enforcement of market obligations and regulatory measures to ensure predictable contractual and payment arrangements.
To accelerate implementation, the TCN boss proposed a 100-day performance scorecard based on existing sector plans.
He said the scorecard should measure additional generation made available, electricity constrained by verified transmission bottlenecks and the commercial measures required to sustain power supply.
According to him, each intervention should have a designated lead institution, a clear deadline and measurable outcomes to ensure accountability.
Abdulaziz reaffirmed TCN's commitment to maintaining a resilient transmission network, expanding electricity transfer capacity and strengthening collaboration across the power sector.
The conference featured exhibitions by major players in the energy industry and attracted the Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe; the Lagos State Governor, represented by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Biodun Ogunleye; the Group President of SkipperSeil Group, Mr. Jitender Kumar Sachdeva; and other industry leaders, investors, development partners and stakeholders.