Nigeria received a US$210 million loan from the African Branch for upgrading its electricity transmission and distribution system

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $210 million loan to help Nigeria upgrade its lagging transmission and distribution network
.

The bank said in a statement that the loan to the Nigerian Transmission Corporation (TCN) will support its construction of 330KV dual-circuit transmission lines and substations
across the country.

The project funded by the African Development Bank will cover seven states within Nigeria and will increase grid capacity
in the most constrained places.

Nigeria privatized much of its power sector in 2013 but retained control
of the monopoly grid operated by TCN.
Most of the country's electricity comes from coal-fired power plants
that use natural gas.

The oft-blamed power grid collapse is what
hampered growth in West Africa's largest economy.

Wale Shonibare, acting vice president of electricity and energy at the African Development Bank, said the implementation of the project will increase the supply of electricity from south to north and will also improve the integration of electricity exports and regional power systems with West African power hubs, particularly through the interconnection
of Niger and Benin.

Nigeria's power system operator says the country's electricity output is about 4,000 megawatts
.
The total power generation is about 7,000 megawatts, but if the power plant is operating at full capacity, the current grid system will not be able to absorb
it all.