The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced the addition of 600 megawatts to Nigeria’s national grid following the completion of a major transmission infrastructure project in Edo State.
The development was disclosed on Thursday by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, during the commissioning of the Ihovbor/Benin and Ihovbor/Ajaokuta 330kV Turn-In-Turn-Out Transmission Line Project.
According to Abdulaziz, the newly completed project represents another major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s electricity transmission network and improving the movement of bulk power across the country.
He explained that the project involved connecting the existing Benin/Ajaokuta 330kV transmission line to the Ihovbor Transmission Substation, creating two new transmission routes stretching a combined distance of 14 kilometres.
“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,” Abdulaziz stated.
“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.”
The TCN boss noted that the infrastructure upgrade would significantly improve the evacuation of electricity generated by the Azura Power Plant and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company plant.
He said the enhanced transmission capacity would reduce existing bottlenecks on the national grid, improve reliability in electricity supply, and provide distribution companies with access to more bulk power for consumers nationwide.
“The importance of this project cannot be overstated. It grants TCN the ability to more efficiently evacuate power generated by the Azura Power Plant and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company plant,” he said.
“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.”
Abdulaziz further explained that the project would enable electricity generated from the Benin axis to be transmitted more effectively to different parts of the country through the national grid system.
“With the grid system, power generated from the Benin axis can easily be wheeled to any part of the country,” he added.
The TCN chief described the project as part of broader efforts to develop a stronger, more flexible, and efficient transmission network capable of supporting Nigeria’s growing electricity demands.
He also said the successful completion of the project reflects TCN’s commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration with stakeholders within the Nigerian power sector.
“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 said.
He added that before the completion of the project, some generated electricity could not be effectively evacuated due to transmission limitations, but the new infrastructure would now make it possible to deliver more power to Nigerians.
“Before, there was power that was generated without evacuation, but now we are going to evacuate more power, which means Nigerians would be getting a more powerful supply,” he stated.
