The Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced an addition of 600 megawatts to the national electricity grid following the commissioning of a new transmission project in Edo State.
The development was disclosed on Thursday by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, during the inauguration of the Ihovbor/Benin and Ihovbor/Ajaokuta 330kV Turn-In-Turn-Out Transmission Line Project.
Abdulaziz said the project represents a major step in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure and improve the evacuation of electricity from generation plants to distribution companies across the country.
According to him, the new facility enhances the ability to move bulk power from the Ihovbor transmission substation to key load centres nationwide.
“This project involves the strategic linking of the existing Benin/Ajaokuta 330kV transmission line to the Ihovbor Transmission Substation, creating two new transmission routes with a total length of 14 kilometres,” he said.
He explained that the additional infrastructure would improve flexibility within the national grid and reduce bottlenecks that have previously limited power distribution.
“With the completion of this strategic project, we have increased the operational flexibility of the transmission network and strengthened the resilience of power delivery within the Benin corridor through this connection to the power plant,” Abdulaziz stated.
He added that the improved transmission capacity would help evacuate more electricity generated by key plants, including the Azura Power Plant and facilities operated by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.
“This has equally helped in alleviating transmission bottlenecks, enhanced system reliability, while allowing the distribution companies access to more bulk electricity for their customers nationwide. With this, we have added 600 megawatts to the national grid,” he said.
The TCN boss further noted that the upgrade would allow electricity generated in the Benin axis to be transmitted more efficiently to different parts of the country.
“With the grid system, power generated from the Benin axis can easily be wheeled to any part of the country,” he said.
He described the project as part of ongoing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s transmission system, improve efficiency, and ensure more stable power supply to consumers.
“Beyond the enhanced flexibility in power evacuation, this project is another step towards our goal of developing a strong and efficient transmission grid. It also showcases TCN’s dedication to ongoing improvement, innovation, and collaboration with stakeholders in the power sector,” Abdulaziz added.
He further explained that the project would reduce instances where generated electricity could not be evacuated due to transmission constraints, thereby improving overall supply reliability for Nigerians.
