LASG, Siemens to Partner on Technology Enabled Waste to Energy Initiatives

The Lagos State Government on Monday hinted at a collaboration with the Siemens Group on Technology Support on waste-to-energy initiatives.

Speaking during a strategic meeting with representatives from Siemens Group held in Alausa, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab said the collaboration will be jointly handled by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources as well as that of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Wahab stated that the State generates above 13,000/14,000 tonnes of Municipal solid waste daily, adding that the State has made practical commitments to some international companies to generate energy from waste.

“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 said.

Wahab said there is still a substantial quantum of municipal waste, and the state is ready to enter into Waste to Energy initiatives that will transform the lives of Lagosians.

The Commissioner said the Ministry of Energy and Mineral has already been working on unbundling the Energy sector through the implementation of the new law that allows states to generate and transmit power to the citizens.

Wahab said there were other ongoing projects, like the power plant in Epe, the Material Recovery Facility in Ikorodu, and Badagry, adding that all these projects are channels to reduce waste in the landfills.

The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Biodun Ogunleye, who was also in attendance, said the State is becoming more urbanised and growing rapidly and affecting the per capita, adding that the State will provide an enabling environment for private sector partnerships to run waste-to-energy initiatives.

He added that the conversion of waste to energy in the state is a major project that the present administration has committed so many funds to; as such, the Siemens Group should come up with a good business model that would work for the state.

In his remarks, the Commercial Director, Siemens Group, Durgen Schumann, said that the organisation specialises in equipment for power generation.

He said the organisation understands that waste is a big problem all over the world, and Siemens is ready to share its expertise to improve power generation in Lagos State.