The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has secured more than $1.4bn (about N1.87tn) in loans and grants from international development partners to expand and strengthen Nigeria’s electricity transmission network.
The funds, mobilised mainly over the past year, were provided through partnerships with institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Agence Française de Développement.
TCN’s Executive Director of Transmission Service Provider, Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, disclosed this during a training workshop in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
According to him, the investment has supported major infrastructure upgrades, including the commissioning of 89 power transformers across the country. He said TCN’s transmission wheeling capacity has now risen to about 8,700 megawatts (MW), although the figure has so far been confirmed through simulations rather than a full physical test.
Oluwagbenga explained that the network could transmit up to 8,700MW if electricity distribution companies were ready to take the available power. However, he noted that Discos’ limited capacity or willingness to receive electricity remains a major constraint.
TCN recorded its highest-ever power transmission of 5,801.84MW in 2025, despite having significantly more capacity available.
The TCN official also rejected claims that the transmission company is the weakest link in Nigeria’s electricity supply chain. He argued that some distribution companies frequently blame TCN for supply problems that originate within their own networks.
Meanwhile, Oluwagbenga raised concerns over the continued vandalism of transmission infrastructure, warning that attacks on towers, power lines and substations were diverting funds that could otherwise be used to expand the national grid.
He said TCN was working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to ensure that individuals arrested for vandalising electricity infrastructure are prosecuted.
The latest investment is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and address bottlenecks across the power sector.
