Lagos to upgrade capacity of Alausa IPP with private investment

Lagos State government is to harness private investment its planned upgrade of the Alausa Independent Power Plant (IPP).

The 10.4 megawatts capacity IPP was built in 2013 by the Babatunde Fashola’s administration to provide electricity to the state secretariat and number of other public institutions within Ikeja, including streetlights on major highways.

Since the last two years, the power plant has been experiencing intermittent shutdown due to operational challenges, with the state secretariat and other public facilities connected to it, resorting to generators, which were decommissioned during the Fashola’s era.

But Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who visited the IPP on Thursday, said his government would be expanding the capacity of the plant in partnership with private investors, in response to the growing need to sustain the “Light-Up Lagos” project of his predecessor and also to take on more public offices around Ikeja.

He did not mention the capacity to be added to the existing 10.4MW, but said consultations ongoing with stakeholders to that effect. The IPP is currently being managed on behalf of the government by Alausa Power Limited.

He said: “We considered embarking on this facility inspection of the Lagos IPP to see how we will optimise the current usage of the plant early this year, given the growing demand for electricity to power public facilities around.”

 Sanwo-Olu explained that the current output could no longer meet the demand of the state. He said the inspection tour to the facility would be followed up with a meeting with partners on the IPP initiative to discuss sustainable growth plan on the output, as more government’s facilities are set to be integrated into the power grid.

“What we currently have now certainly cannot meet up with our requirements. We want to expand and grow the Light-Up Lagos initiative, so that we can light up strategic highways and areas, including Ikorodu road, Ogudu, and Oworonsoki and extend the initiative to Adeniyi Jones and Oba Akran road. We want to have the whole parts of the state lit up at night,” said the governor.

 

JOSHUA BASSEY