In a bid to tackle mounting waste and boost local power generation, the Lagos State Government is set to collaborate with global engineering giant Siemens to develop waste-to-energy projects across the state.
The announcement came during a strategic meeting held Monday in Alausa, where Lagos State officials met with representatives from Siemens Group.
The partnership will be jointly managed by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
Lagos State produces over 13,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab said that the state produces more than 13,000 to 14,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, an amount he described as both a challenge and an untapped resource.
“We have committed about 4000 tonnes of waste to waste to wealth, 1500 tonnes to a Dutch company, while a large chunk also goes to Lafarge to power their plants,” he explained.
According to Wahab, a significant amount of municipal waste still exists, and the state is prepared to launch waste-to-energy projects that will improve the quality of life for Lagos residents.
According to him, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals has already begun to unbundle the energy sector by putting the new law that permits states to produce and distribute electricity to their citizens into effect.
Other projects, such as the Epe power plant and the Material Recovery Facility in Ikorodu and Badagry, are still in progress, according to Wahab, who also mentioned that they are all ways to lessen the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Enabling environment for firms to operate waste-to-energy projects.
Biodun Ogunleye, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, who was also present, stated that the state is rapidly growing and becoming more urbanised, which is having an impact on the per capita population.
He also said that the state will create an environment that will allow private sector partnerships to operate waste-to-energy projects.
He further said that the Siemens Group should develop a solid business plan that would benefit the state because the state’s waste-to-energy conversion project is a significant undertaking to which the current administration has allocated a significant amount of funding.
Durgen Schumann, the Commercial Director of Siemens Group, stated in his remarks that the company specializes in power generation equipment.
According to him, Siemens is willing to share its knowledge in order to enhance power generation in Lagos State, and the organisation is aware that waste is a major issue globally.