TCN MD: Nigeria Must Unlock Trapped Power Before Chasing More Generation – Proposes 100-day action plan to boost electricity, fix transmission bottlenecks and restore market liquidity By Raymond Enoch

Nigeria must urgently move beyond its installed electricity generation capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts (MW) and focus on making existing power plants operational, strengthening transmission infrastructure and fixing persistent financial weaknesses in the electricity market, the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. (Dr.) Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, has said.

Abdulaziz, who spoke at the 2026 Energy Conference and Exhibition at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, identified three critical interventions he believes could deliver the fastest improvements in electricity supply, arguing that Nigeria’s power crisis is not merely about generation capacity but the country’s ability to make electricity available, transmit it reliably and sustain its delivery through a functional commercial market.

He proposed a focused 100-day implementation scorecard to accelerate the interventions, with clear institutional responsibilities, deadlines and measurable results.

The TCN chief executive said the immediate priority should be restoring generation capacity that remains unavailable, followed by removing transmission constraints that prevent available electricity from reaching consumers, and strengthening the commercial arrangements needed to sustain the entire power 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.

His position highlights a fundamental challenge in Nigeria’s electricity sector: the gap between installed generation capacity and the actual electricity available to homes, businesses and industries.

Abdulaziz argued that closing this gap requires immediate, coordinated action rather than continued reliance on policy documents and capacity projections that do not necessarily translate into improved electricity supply.

On generation, he identified the restoration of existing but unavailable power as the largest potential source of near-term gains.

He called for dependable gas supply to power plants, predictable payment arrangements across the gas-to-power chain and better-coordinated maintenance to minimise avoidable plant shutdowns.

According to him, existing frameworks, including the Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan and the National Integrated Electricity Policy, must be translated into measurable improvements in generation availability, with accountability tied to the additional megawatts delivered to the grid.

“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.

The TCN boss also drew attention to the transmission infrastructure separating electricity generation from actual delivery to consumers, disclosing that the company has a simulated wheeling capacity of approximately 8,700MW.

However, he explained that the quantity of electricity that can actually be evacuated depends on the availability of transmission lines and transformers, voltage and system stability limits, as well as the capacity of electricity distribution companies to receive power.

The distinction, he suggested, is crucial to understanding why installed generation capacity does not automatically translate into electricity supply.

Providing an update on network expansion, Abdulaziz disclosed that TCN installed 82 power transformers between January 2024 and November 2025, adding approximately 8,500 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to its transformation capacity.

He said the company was continuing to prioritise critical transmission reinforcement and rehabilitation projects, improve the availability of lines and transformers, strengthen protection systems and expand real-time network visibility through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Energy Management System (SCADA/EMS) tools.

“Our responsibility is to maintain and strengthen the network while expanding its capability,” he said.

He stressed that improved maintenance, faster responses to faults and closer coordination among generation companies, TCN and distribution companies would be essential to ensuring that available electricity reaches consumers more consistently.

Beyond generation and transmission, Abdulaziz identified market liquidity as the third intervention, warning that technical improvements across the power sector would not be sustainable without addressing payment shortfalls and weaknesses in commercial arrangements.

He called for credible metering and energy accounting, transparent market settlement, improved revenue collection, enforcement of contractual obligations and targeted regulatory decisions to make payments and commercial commitments more predictable.

His argument places financial sustainability alongside physical infrastructure as a critical requirement for improving electricity supply, given the interdependence of gas suppliers, generation companies, transmission operators and distribution companies.

To ensure that the proposed interventions produce tangible results, Abdulaziz advocated a 100-day implementation scorecard that would track three key indicators: additional generation made available to the grid, megawatts constrained by verified transmission bottlenecks, and the commercial actions required to sustain electricity supply.

He said each intervention must have a designated lead institution, a clear deadline and a measurable outcome to prevent implementation from being undermined by overlapping responsibilities or a lack of accountability.

“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 explained.

The proposal effectively places the emphasis on immediate, verifiable improvements across the electricity value chain, rather than treating installed capacity or infrastructure expansion as sufficient indicators of progress.

For TCN, the approach reinforces the importance of strengthening the national transmission network while ensuring that investments in generation translate into electricity that can be evacuated and distributed to end users.

Abdulaziz reaffirmed the company’s commitment to building a resilient transmission network, expanding power transfer capability and deepening collaboration with other players in the electricity sector.

“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.

The conference featured exhibitions by leading companies in the energy industry and attracted the Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe; the Governor of Lagos State, represented by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Biodun Ogunleye; the Group President of SkipperSeil Group, Mr. Jitender Kumar Sachdeva; alongside industry leaders, development partners, investors and other stakeholders.