A huge investment opportunity lies in the waste management sector of the Lagos State economy as it has been identified to have the capacity to produce up to 50 megawatts of electricity if harnessed.
Waste-to-energy entails creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. Most of the processes produce electricity directly through combustion, or combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels.
Lagos is currently estimated to generate over 10,000 cubic metre of waste daily, the highest in the country, which leaves the state with a huge waste deposit base that can be tapped into for wealth creation and employment generation using the right kind of technology.
Ola Oresanya, managing director, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), who led his management team on a courtesy visit to BusinessDay on Thursday, said the agency is already exploring the waste-to-energy potentials at the Olusosun dumpsite near Ojota, where it hopes to convert the long decomposed waste underneath the dumpsite into energy. When fully achieved, he said, the residents of the surrounding area, with the approval of the state government, may enjoy free electricity.
He said the waste to energy programme has effectively taken off at Ikosi Market, near Ikeja, where waste generated within the market is currently supplying 5 megawatts of electricity to the market. “What this means is that waste generated within the market do not leave the market, it is being utilised right there for energy,” Oresanya said.
The managing director added that the authority is working to extend similar project to other markets within Lagos, while pursuing the full realisation of the waste-to-wealth/recycling programme of the state government.
“The state has commenced the methane harnessing for waste-to-energy project at Olusosun. Other waste-to-wealth initiatives include earthcare compost plant in Ikorodu, plastic buy-back programme and household waste recycling,” he said.
He explained that the recycling initiative aims basically to manage resources, reduce costs and the impact of waste materials on the environment in addition to generating income and employment for the teeming population of Lagos. Under the programme, the agency, he said has introduced waste sorting mechanism within the neighbourhoods of Lagos whereby waste such as paper, metal cans, glass and others are sorted and treated differently.
JOSHUA BASSEY,
ALEX CHIEJINA &
NONSO NDUMANYA
