In a major boost for national grid stability, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has officially handed over a temporary National Control Centre to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).
Located at Abuja’s Gwagwalada 330kV Transmission Substation, the facility deploys a new digital platform: the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition/Energy Management System (SCADA/EMS).
This technology empowers operators to monitor and respond to live grid activity instantaneously.
Until the permanent National Control Centre is completed, the facility will serve as NISO’s operational headquarters for managing electricity transmission across the country.
Speaking during the handover ceremony on Tuesday, TCN’s Managing Director/CEO, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, described the development as a major milestone in Nigeria’s power sector reforms and an important step toward building a more reliable electricity transmission network.
Represented by the General Manager, Project Coordination, Engr. Amini Tahir, Abdulaziz said the project goes beyond the completion of a new building, noting that it marks the beginning of a new era in grid management and national power coordination.
He explained that while the facility was initially meant to temporarily house operational staff and the newly deployed SCADA/EMS and telecommunications systems, its role has expanded.
It will now serve as NISO’s temporary National Control Centre, allowing the agency to manage real-time grid operations until the permanent control centre is completed.
According to him, placing the facility under NISO’s control is expected to improve grid management, strengthen system reliability and ultimately support better electricity service delivery to Nigerians.
Abdulaziz also acknowledged the World Bank for supporting the project and reaffirmed TCN’s commitment to working closely with stakeholders to modernise the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure.
Receiving the facility on behalf of NISO, the agency’s Managing Director/CEO, Engr. Abdu Mohammed Bello, represented by the General Manager, System Planning, Engr. Kabir Adamu, described the handover as a significant operational milestone rather than a routine transfer of infrastructure.
He said the SCADA/EMS platform is central to modern electricity grid management because it gives system operators the ability to monitor and coordinate power transmission in real time, helping to improve efficiency, reliability and faster response to grid disturbances.
Bello assured that NISO would effectively manage the facility while continuing to collaborate with TCN and other stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s power system.
TCN’s Project Manager, Engr. Samuel Fakinlade, disclosed that once the permanent National Control Centre in Gwagwalada is completed, all equipment and operational personnel currently stationed at the temporary facility will be relocated, after which the building will revert to TCN.
The handover comes at a time when Nigeria is pursuing reforms aimed at improving grid stability, reducing system disturbances and modernising the infrastructure required to support a more efficient and reliable electricity supply across the country.
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