Lagos Targets 3,000 MW From IPP

The Lagos State Government says it is planning to generate of 3,000 megawatts of electricity in the state in the next two years.

Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Taofiq Tijani says government intended to realise this through continuing partnership with private sector investors in the state power sector.

Tijani disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos, southwest Nigeria at a breakfast meeting in honour of the first graduating set of 15 young electrical engineers under the Youth Energy Career Programme, YECP, piloted by the Lagos State Electricity Board, LSEB and sponsored by Gbenga Ashafa, senator representing Lagos East, with Siemens, a global player in the power sector as trainer partner.

Tijani added that the state is hopeful that within the next two years, it would deliver not less than 3,000 megawatts of electricity.

The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi stressed the need to urgently train quality manpower that would man the sector, as the power roadmap of the Federal Government and the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria,  which is expected to attract fresh investments in the economy unfolded.

He said Lagos had taken the right step in view of the need to have what he called “young innovative engineers” capable of handling multiple tasks as experienced hands were getting old and retiring from the sector.

The Lagos State Government had said that the state, with estimated 20 million people needed of about 12,000 megawatts of electricity, but currently, it receives less than 1,000 megawatts from the national grid.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga