Major Chinese power and energy equipment manufacturer, TBEA Co. Ltd has indicated commitment to establish a power and energy equipment industrial park in Nigeria, in a major highlight of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to attract long-term investments into the sector.
Founded in 1949, TBEA is a leading manufacturer of power transformers, electrical equipment and development of transmission and renewable energy projects.
At a high-level meeting at TBEA’s Beijing headquarters during a working visit by the Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, the parties agreed on establishing the industrial park. Tegbe is on a working visit to engage original equipment manufacturers and technical partners of the Presidential Power Initiative.
The proposed park is expected to position Nigeria as a manufacturing and export hub for critical power-sector equipment, moving the country beyond imports toward local production, while creating jobs and building a base of indigenous suppliers.
Tegbe described TBEA as a long-term strategic development partner rather than simply a contractor, and reaffirmed Federal Government’s drive to attract investors who bring technology transfer and local capacity alongside capital.
Alongside the new park, TBEA renewed its commitment to accelerate delivery of ongoing transmission and distribution projects across the country, including works expected to unlock more than 2,000MW of stranded capacity for consumers and strengthen bulk power supply to the Federal Capital Territory.
Tegbe also underscored the need for faster completion of Presidential Power Initiative works, calling for extension of planned grid infrastructure to the East-West corridor.
He said the government remains committed to ensuring that contracted and substantially developed projects be brought to completion so Nigerians can begin realizing their benefit.
The engagement also explored the feasibility of electric-vehicle charging infrastructure in Nigeria, opening a new front for investment as the country’s grid modernizes around renewable energy and storage technologies.
As part of the visit, Tegbe had strategic meeting with Sinomach Group and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), two of the largest contractors in Nigeria’s generation and transmission programme.
He reiterated the need for accelerated completion schedules on all ongoing PPI projects and for a shift from conventional engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to a full-scope partnership.
Under the expanded model proposed by Tegbe, Chinese partners would move beyond building assets to co-investing in them- bringing capital, technology and technical expertise to generation, transmission, hydropower and associated industrial investment.
Building on CMEC’s established footprint in Nigeria, Tegbe set out the Ministry’s expectations that this partnership should deliver faster project completion, additional wheeling capacity and blended financing structures.
He also visited China National Electric Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) to advance EPC cooperation on Nigeria’s transmission network, the segment of the value chain where bottlenecks most directly translate into load-shedding for homes and industry.
Giving practical expression to the Ministry’s commitment to transmission expansion, the delegation witnessed a factory acceptance test for high-voltage cables and related transmission materials at Hengfei Cable’s Changsha Industrial Park. The test confirms that equipment destined for Nigerian transmission projects meets the required technical standards before shipment, a step that shortens installation timelines and reduces the risk of delays once materials arrive in-country.
Recognizing that reliable electricity is only valuable when it powers productive activity, Tegbe invited Chinese corporations to invest in strategic sectors that are both major consumers of power and drivers of economic growth: steel, automotive manufacturing, digital infrastructure and data centres, cold-chain logistics and sugar processing.
He proposed a structured Nigeria-China industrial cooperation platform to originate, screen and develop bankable projects aligned with Nigeria’s industrialization priorities, ensuring that new generation and transmission capacity is matched by anchor industrial demand, creating jobs and improving the commercial viability of the power sector itself.