The Nasarawa State Government has signed a concession agreement with Beacon Energy Development to set up a plant that would generate power from waste at an estimated cost of $31.5 million.
Representatives of the Nasarawa State Government, as well as management of the Beacon Energy Development, signed the agreement at a brief ceremony at the Government House, on Wednesday.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule said, the waste to energy project fits perfectly with the development agenda of his administration.
He commended the Federal Government as well as the Federal Ministry of Environment for initiating and constructing the waste recycling facility in Auta Balefi, near Abuja which was handed over to the Nasarawa State Government.
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According to the Governor, the idea was for the state government to run the facility as a business, but that was not the case because as experience has shown, businesses ran by government always run into challenges.
Sule expressed appreciation that Beacon Energy Development, a company owned by an indigene of the state, Lazarus Angbazo, is coming to take over the facility for the generation of energy from waste.
“I am happy that our dear brother and his company, Beacon, have decided to join us and to take it over and run it under this PPP arrangement.
“That’s the part that makes me very happy, that we have been able to put this particular project into proper use,” the Governor said.
Sule said the partnership is coming at a time when the need to address power challenges in the country and the state has become paramount, noting that power was essential for any form of economic activity.
According to the governor, to set a target sometimes was not enough but to follow up and implement that target was important and prayed that, parties to the agreement would implement the ideas behind the project so that, it would be a legacy for both the firm and for his administration.
Earlier, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Beacon Energy Development, Lazarus Angbazo said the concession has both local and international contents, involving a Swedish company, with the associated power generation capacity visualized for the project, enough to provide power to the industrial cluster already in place around Karu.
He added that the partnership has enormous possibilities to attract more industries, cottage industries that youths and women can key into for their benefit.
“We have a huge issue of sanitation and waste management in the country. We have taken a long term view of our state, of our country, of our community, particularly the youths and women. We have an opportunity to turn a problem into an economic engine,” he stated.
In a remark, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment and Economic Planning, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the project estimated at $31.5m, would entail designing, financing, building and operating the plant at Auta Balefi, which would be upgraded to an integrated municipal waste management facility for converting waste to energy.
