8,500 transmission capacity: Low demand stalls generation of 3,500MW

• Nigeria conducts grid synchronisation test connecting 15 countries for four hours

The Ministry of Power yesterday said despite the availability of 8,500MW transmission capacity in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), low demand from the Distribution Companies (DisCos) has limited generation to 5,000MW, stalling 3,500MW.
As of July 17, 2025, the wheeling capacity was 5,500MW.
But the ministry disclosed its recent wheeling capacity in Abuja during a media briefing where it announced that Nigeria successfully conducted a grid synchronization test with 15 West African countries for four hours on November 8, 2025.
“Today, the minimum grid capacity we can even communicate is 8,500MW of capacity. If our generation reaches 8,000 MW today, the grid can comfortably and conveniently transmit it,” Adelabu said.
Besides, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Market Operation Executive Director, Dr. Edmund Eje, explained that since electricity cannot be stored, the industry only generates energy based on demand.
His words: “The amount of energy generated is equal to the amount of energy that will be transmitted, and it is also equal to the amount of energy that is demanded by the distribution companies. It is simultaneously consumed.
“You don’t stall energy anywhere. The transmission capacity can carry 8,500MW, but it can only carry what can be consumed. Generators will not generate more than what will be consumed at the same time.”
On synchronization, he said the feat of successful synchronization will not affect the allocation of energy for domestic consumption.
Eje said that although there is a regulation that Nigeria allocates 600MW for bilateral trade, production constraints presently limit it to 360MW.
Adelabu, however, described the synchronization test success as a step towards the elimination of grid collapse from the industry, noting it means that there is confidence that the system is now resilient.
He described it as a landmark development in the evolution of West Africa’s electricity architecture.
He confirmed that on 8th November 2025, Nigeria successfully conducted a grid synchronisation test connecting the national electricity grid with the interconnected West African Power Pool (WAPP) system.
According to him, the exercise represents the first time in history that Nigeria has operated in a unified, stable, and fully harmonised configuration with the rest of the sub-region.
He clarified that while it is not yet a permanent synchronisation, the successful test clearly demonstrates that regional technical alignment is feasible and marks a major step toward eventual full integration.
Adelabu further noted that the synchronisation exercise, conducted between 05:04 a.m. and 09:04 a.m., involved the Nigerian grid which includes Niger Republic and parts of Benin and Togo and the rest of West Africa’s interconnected systems covering Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali.
He said for four uninterrupted hours, power flowed seamlessly across national borders, operating at a single stable frequency and proving that West Africa is now technically capable of functioning as a unified power bloc.
He said the achievement ranks among the most significant milestones in the history of WAPP.
He said the test marks the first successful large-scale synchronisation attempt since 2007, when a short-lived trial lasted only seven minutes before failing.
Adelabu said Nigeria has made history with the successful synchronization of the national grid with the West African Power Pool interconnected system.
For four unbroken hours, according to him, electricity flowed from Nigeria and Niger into the entire West African sub-region covering Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau operating at a single, stabilized frequency.
Earlier at the NISO Maiden Stakeholders’ Engagement, the Managing Director, Engr. Abdul Mohammed said the milestone recorded with the synchronization milestone is more than a technical success, since it positions Nigeria as a regional power hub; opens new avenues for electricity trading; unlocks foreign exchange potential; and reinforces investor confidence in the emerging Nigerian electricity market.
According to him, a resilient electricity market requires more than engineering; it requires relationships.
He said it requires trust among service providers, trust between the market and regulators, trust between the government and operators, and, above all, trust from the Nigerian people.