Adedokun Waliyu 
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has secured over $1.4 billion in loans and grants from multilateral development partners to expand the national electricity grid.
Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, Executive Director of Transmission Service Provider at TCN, disclosed this on Thursday at a training workshop in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
He said the funding, combined with internally financed projects, was being used to rehabilitate ageing assets and expand the transmission network.
According to him, TCN has deployed 89 power transformers across the network, adding more than 8,500 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of new transformation capacity and improving bulk electricity delivery to distribution companies nationwide.
He said the deployment of 300 MVA transformer units at strategic locations, including Katampe, Lekki, Ikeja West and Akangba, was helping to address critical load constraints.
Oluwagbenga explained that the expansion was designed to translate increased transmission capacity into improved operational resilience and enhanced peak power delivery to homes and businesses.
He said the financing was secured through partnerships with international development institutions and financiers, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Agence Française de Développement.
According to him, the investments have significantly strengthened the transmission network and increased its ability to move substantially more electricity across the country.
However, he noted that the full 8,700MW transmission capacity had not yet been physically tested.
Oluwagbenga said TCN was deliberately conservative in its assessment, noting that additional transmission facilities deployed over the past six months were yet to be reflected in the current capacity figure.
He added that the ongoing investments represented a significant financial commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s electricity transmission infrastructure.
