Nigeria has achieved a historic milestone by successfully synchronising its national grid with the West African Power Pool (WAPP), paving the way for electricity exports to 14 African countries and potential foreign exchange earnings.
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, announced the breakthrough on Thursday in Abuja, describing the four-hour synchronisation test as the most successful in nearly two decades.
A previous attempt in 2007 collapsed after just seven minutes.“This is a landmark achievement that demonstrates the strength, stability, and resilience of our grid,” Adelabu said, adding that Nigeria’s system even stabilised the regional grid when a generator tripped in Côte d’Ivoire during the test.
With current export capacity of 600 MW (350 MW already committed to Benin, Togo, and Niger), the Minister assured Nigerians that domestic supply will not be compromised, noting persistently low local energy demand while manufacturers and households increasingly turn to off-grid and renewable alternatives.
Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Managing Director, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, confirmed the national grid’s wheeling capacity remains at 8,500 MW, with ongoing upgrades under the Presidential Power Initiative (Siemens project), World Bank programmes, and new substations expected to boost capacity further.
Stakeholders also revealed that about 60 per cent of generation companies have complied with NERC’s mandatory Free Governor Control Order ahead of the November 30 deadline, a move aimed at improving grid frequency stability.
In the second quarter of 2025 alone, Nigeria invoiced international customers $17.54 million for electricity exports, though only $9.01 million (51.33 per cent) was remitted.
The successful integration with WAPP, covering 14 ECOWAS countries, is expected to attract investment, enhance regional stability, and position Nigeria as a power hub in West Africa.
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