...To Commission 8.8MW Mainland Power Plant
Lagos State Electricity Board has announced plans by the Lagos State government to commission the 8.8mw Mainland Independent Power Plant as part of activities commemorating the Energy Conservation Month 2014. The Power Plant located at the Government Reservation Area, G.R.A Ikeja when switched on will ensure 24-hour uninterrupted electric power supply to a number of public institutions including the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja High Court Complex, Old Secretariat Complex, Ikeja Water Works and guarantee over 20km of Public Lighting to select streets around Ikeja. His Excellency, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) would formally switch on the power plant on Friday, October 31, 2014.
According to a Press Statement issued in Lagos by the General Manager, Lagos State Electricity Board, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi the Lagos State government is committed to its holistic plan to meet the power needs of Lagos. Ogunbiyi said, “ the power need of Lagos, Nigeria’s industrial and commercial nerve centre and one of the world’s fastest growing Megacities is huge. To this end, the Lagos State Government has launched several initiatives to meet the power need of its people across domestic, industrial and commercial spheres.” She further explained that part of the steps taken so far by the Fashola administration is the implementation of a strategic energy development plan which entails the creation of a full fledged Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB), launch of Independent Power Projects as well as the dedication of October as the Energy Conservation Month. The Energy Conservation Month, which debuted in 2013, has become an annual event commemorated by the state government.
Ogunbiyi further clarified the intent of Lagos State Electricity Board for introducing The Energy Conservation Month saying, “it is essentially a Behavioural Change Campaign dubbed as ‘Conserve Energy, Save Money’ (CESM) and aimed at promoting the practice of efficient use of available electric power”.
Other activities lined up by the Lagos State government through the Lagos State Electricity Board for the 2014 edition of the Energy Conservation Month will include the launch of a Lagos Energy Calculator and the Lagos Energy Calculator App, the first consumer-focused application in Africa, designed to help consumers closely estimate the amount of energy they consume and then take steps to conserve energy and reduce wastage. The line up of activities will also include the commissioning of an Energy Academy, an initiative of the state government established to serve as as a Centre of Excellence in energy training and education, research and innovation in Nigeria. Also, the first Lagos State Oil and Gas Summit and ‘Inventergy’, an Innovation Challenge sponsored by the state government to encourage young inventors who have designed efficient and cost-effective energy solutions will also be held during the month as part of the commemorative activities.
Ogunbiyi further hinted that a road show and a Residents Energy Conservation Experience Activation will be held during the month across five regions in the state namely: Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa and Oshodi. “The essence of the activation is to enable more residents to be well informed about the benefits of energy conservation”, she said.
As part of steps to achieve an all-inclusive reach, the ‘Conserve Energy, Save Money’ campaign will also run on social media to drive awareness of the outlined activities and stir up a movement and adoption of energy conservation behaviours through the social media. This year, a series of teaser questions around ‘Are You In, Or Out’ will be used to drive awareness amongst the youths and on the digital space. Residents can be part of the online activation by tagging the HashTag #AreYouInOrOut. They are also enjoined to watch out for the conversations on Twitter @lagosenergy, follow the movement and “Get In”.
Ogunbiyi called on Lagosians to help conserve the inadequate mega watts of electricity supplied to Lagos from the national grip while lamenting that, “despite the limited electricity supply to Lagos from the national grid, less than one per cent of the 20 million residents of Lagos reportedly practised any form of energy conservation in the year 2013”. In Lagos just as elsewhere in the country and across many African countries, electric power is largely insufficient while the available supplies are being overtly wasted at the same time. This counter-productive behaviour further buttresses the need for energy conservation in the state.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State Government has been relentless in the pursuit of efficient energy development plan. In the past four years, the government has successfully launched three Independent Power Plants one of them being the Akute IPP, a 12.15MW capacity facility which currently enables the Lagos Water Corporation to pump over 130 million gallons of water daily. The second one is the 10MW Island Power Plant, which supplies 24-hour uninterrupted electricity to the General Hospital and Island Maternity Hospital both on Lagos Island, High Court and Magistrates Court complexes and over 22 street lights. The third - the 10.4MW Alausa Power Plant – powers the Lagos State Government Secretariat complex thus making it the first seat of power in Nigeria to be run without generating sets. All the power plant run on environmentally friendly natural gas thereby reducing carbon emissions and promoting safe and clean environment.
Source: The Lagos State Government
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