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Tag: IPP

  • Electricity has no political colour, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday declared that electricity has no political colour.

    Buhari spoke while inaugurating the Ariara Market Independent Power Plant (IPP) in the commercial city of Aba, Abia State.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also pledged that his administration will continue to execute people-oriented projects around the country irrespective of party differences.

    ‘‘Today with policies and programmes such as this IPP we have demonstrated that if the common good is our mutual objective, it can be achieved irrespective of party differences and constitutional limitations.

    ‘‘Electricity has no political colour,’’ the President said in his speech at the inauguration of the plant.

    He expressed delight 37,000 shops belonging to traders and small business owners in Ariara market will, one after the other, be connected to the dedicated electricity supply.

    Buhari said the feat will strengthen the Made-in-Nigeria policy for which Abia and in particular, Aba, and Ariaria market are already well known.

    ‘‘I am pleased to be here today at the milestone connection of 4,000 shops that now have dedicated power.

    ‘‘Being a market that supplies shoes, bags, clothing, trunks and many household accessories to Nigeria, many African countries like Chad, Cameroun, Gambia and Central Africa Republic, reliable power supply is critical for ease of doing business to ensure sustainability and improvement.

    Read Also: Pensioners to Buhari: have mercy on us

    ‘‘I am told that before this intervention, traders in the market only got 4 hours a day of electricity and paid exorbitantly for it, which consequently affected the viability of many businesses.

    ‘‘This is the sad legacy we inherited but which we are replacing with an all-day power supply that is cleaner and better for our environment.

    ‘‘Those who turned their backs on these problems still have the courage to campaign about unemployment and poverty,’’ he said.

    The President told delighted traders and businessmen who trooped out en-masse to welcome him to Aba that the APC-led administration is creating jobs for Nigerians through investments in power projects like the IPP in Ariaria.

    ‘‘What is happening in Ariaria today by way of clean, independent and reliable power to markets and small businesses is happening in Kano, Lagos, Ondo and Ibadan.

    ‘‘Similar initiatives have started in nine Federal universities with a plan to cover 37 universities, through Government funding,’’ he said.

    Saluting the traders for their fortitudes over the years when no previous government attended to their concerns, the President declared: ‘‘Methodically, slowly, but very efficiently, we are cleaning up the mess.

    “We are moving our economy away from rent and arbitrage and heading resolutely to building an economy that rewards investments, enterprise and hard work.’’

    Buhari assured business owners in Ariara that under his watch they will continue to experience better days and prosperity as African markets await more of Made-in-Aba products.

    The President is on his 17th and 18th campaigns stops to Abia and Imo States for the February 16, 2019 presidential elections.

    On his arrival in Aba, the President had paid homage to Enyi 1 of Aba, Eze Isaac Ikonne before attending the APC presidential campaign rally at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba.

  • Oyo to generate 2,000MW through IPP

    The Oyo State government has said arrangements are in place to generate electricity through the Independent Power Project (IPP).

    The government said it had sought approval of the National Energy Regulation Commission (NERC) to generate 2,000 megawatts (MW).

    Commissioner for Works and Transport Mr. Wasiu Dauda spoke at the weekend at a meeting with the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) at the company’s headquarters in Ibadan, the capital.

    Dauda said the government would proffer a lasting solution to power generation shortfall in the state to improve the social and economic growth of individuals, corporate organisations, residents and the nation.

    The commissioner said the analysis of the state’s energy needs showed that it requires about 1,265 MW, adding that the government requested approval of NERC to generate 2,000MW.

    He said the government had fruitful discussions with Messrs Diversified Global Eco-Energy (DGE), adding that efforts are in top gear to kick-start the project through Ibadan North and South West local governments as a pilot scheme with 100 MW.

    Dauda said Ibadan North  was chosen to represent the residential client template of the scheme while Ibadan South West  would represent the industrial client template.

    The commissioner noted that 50 MW was intended to be provided for each of the chosen local government as a pilot scheme.

    He added: “DGE has agreed to finance the cost of the equipment. However, the company requires a sovereign guarantee of the state government. To consummate the actualisation of this noble project, a special Project Entity (SPE), consisting of DGE, Oyo State government and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) will have to be formed.”

  • Developer to build IPP at Imperial ‘smart city’

    Developer to build IPP at Imperial ‘smart city’

    Electricity supply has continued to be a major concern in the country. Even in highbrow estates, stable electricity can only be guaranteed by the use of generators, a system that is not in sync with the current drive for clean energy usage.

    Lagos state’s new status of a megacity has thrown up the challenge of ensuring a clean and safe environment at all times, especially with the looming effect of climate change. This is why developers are now building into their housing projects, alternatives that will ensure that environmental pollution are drastically reduced, especially in the area of energy usage.

    This thinking and the future demands on the environment are the reasons a real estate developer and promoter of International Imperial Business City (IIBC), ChannelDrill Resources Limited, has concluded plans to include in its development of the first smart city in Africa, an independent power plant (IPP) to ensure that its smart city project, set for commencement next week, does not only enjoy stable power supply, but uses clean energy supply. The IIBC is a planned smart city located on a 200-hectare expanse land in Ikate  Kingdom, which is to be attained by dredging the Lagos Lagoon.

    In an exclusive chat with The Nation, ChannelDrill Managing Director, Mr. Olufemi Akioye, explained that the plans for the IPP in the smart city is to ensure that the city is intended to be self- sustained. Besides, the use of IPP within the city will ensure that there is no need for the use of generator by its residents, leading to clean energy.

    He also explained that the waste treatment plant to be built on the Island will be producing methane that will be used for production of more electricity or cooking gas. “Electricity will be available on 24/7 basis; cooking gas will also be piped into each building, thereby eliminating the usage of gas cylinders in the city,” Akioye explained.

    Shedding light on the power project within the development, Akioye explained that due to power supply intermittency, the developers have assumed that Lagos does not have capacity to uptake the new demand levels of the island. Therefore, a new intake substation on the Island would be supplied directly from an existing substation on the mainland via a subsea cable.

    Also, this, he further explained, will act as a secondary supply to the city and could potentially be used to export the surplus generated to the existing Lagos distribution network.

    Akioye said exhaust gasses from the generators used in the IPP will be treated by a dedicated gas cleaning plant to ensure that fumes released into the atmosphere complies  with international standards; secondary power will be generated by alternative sources such as waste to power plants, while liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be supplied to the city via barges. “Fuel will be pumped into bulk fuel storage bays via pipelines from the coast. Bulk storage feeds into a treatment plant before entering generator supply streams,” he explained.

    Akioye said the infrasture consultants to the project, Mott MacDonald Limited, London, United Kingdom, are also banking on past project experience on past Master Plans that were executed in climatic conditions similar to those of Lagos to estimate power density figures. He said this will be calculated for each load zone based on land allocation.

    “We are aware that air-conditioning is a large element within power demand in a highbrow area like the IIBC, so preliminary load estimate per plot is 100MVA,” he said.

  • Lafarge to boost operations with 310Mw IPP

    Lafarge Holcim, parent company  of  Lafarge Africa  has announced plan to provide additional 220 mega  watts (Mw) of its Independent Power project (IPP) to existing  90 Mw in Southwestern  Nigeria.

    According to the company, this plan will be completed by 2017.

    The General Manager, Independent Power Projects, Lafarge Africa, Mr Lanre Opakunle,  said  with 386.5 metric  tonnes  of installed capacity worldwide netted N6.422.2 trillion ($32.6 billion) last year from  global cement sale, the firm is eyeing a long term investment in  Nigeria, hence, its involvement in the construction of an  IPP in the Southwest and other parts of the country.

    According to Opakunle, Lafarge has already delivered 90Mw of the 50Mw which is already added to the national grid.

    He also said the company is increasing and expanding the capacity of its operations and power supply to its plants in various parts of the country.

    He said its newly constructed 220Mw power plant at Ewekoro, Ogun State, would commence operation soon.

    According to him, the 220Mw power plant at Ewekoro, Ogun State project worth $400 million (N78.8 billion) was executed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Wartsila.

    He said IFC would provide financial and advisory services for the project through InfraVentures, its Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund, while Wartsila would build and manage the power plant.

    He expressed the hope that the project would enhance 1.4 million households’ access to electricity and help mitigate energy problems of many firms in the country, adding that power project remained one of the company’s contributions toward providing an enabling environment for new investments and the nation’s economic growth.

    He added that Lafarge has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ogun State government on the collection and usage of waste, including agro-waste for the waste-to-energy independent power project with a view to generating electricity; creating job opportunities and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and effects of greenhouse gases.

    He however, affirmed Lafarge’s commitment to Ogun State socio-economic growth and development, saying the combustible and re-cyclable energy programme would improve the state economy and create job opportunities in addition to cleaning and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and effects of greenhouse.

    Apart from the Southwest, there are also plans to raise production capacity in the Northeast, Nigeria to four metric tonnes from 0.9, including a 64megawatts coal power plant by 2018 for Ashaka cement company.

    Opakunle also stated that Lafarge plans to also expand its Southeastern operation to five metric tonnes from its present 2.5 metric tonnes whose investment stands at N120 billion.

    For the UNICEM, he said the production capacity will be increased to 12 metric  by 2018 from 8.5 metric tonnes in 2014. This, accordingly, includes construction of N9 billion road, 45Mw gas plant

    He said Lafarge interacts with all actors in the construction chain and makes a net positive contribution to society and nature through sustainable developments which is part of the company’s DNA.

    He assured that Lafarge Africa will continuously strives to create more value for customers and end-users by providing them with the highest quality products and solutions.

  • IPP for Lekki Free Trade Zone

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday inaugurated the new 12MW Independent Power Plant (IPP) project expected to provide uninterrupted power supply to the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ).

    The LFTZ IPP built by the Chinese Railway Construction Company (CRCC), under the Build, Operate and Transfer partnership agreement, is the sixth power plant inaugurated by the administration.

    The governor, who also inaugurated Candel Agrochemical Manufacturing Plant, said the facility was another milestone for the administration.

    Fashola praised the stakeholders and investors for keeping faith with the government.

    He said, “Today, we have lived the dream; block by block, the zone has emerged.

    “This zone will outlive all of us because it will be here in another 200 years.

    “So, it must grow gradually and at its own pace. Today, we have achieved another milestone.

    “This place was a forest in 2007 without roads. We built roads and today, it has electricity.

    “It is only a modest journey and the community will benefit.”

    He urged the community to continue to support the trade zone, adding that the power plant will also supply power to houses in the area.

    The governor emphasised that the road to prosperity in Nigeria is in three words: “Made in Nigeria”.

    “China has shown that example and that is why it is the largest economy in the world today.

    “We can replicate that achievement here and that is why it is our formidable partner.”

     

  • N35b IPP ‘fraud’: Delta Speaker exonerates self

    N35b IPP ‘fraud’: Delta Speaker exonerates self

    Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly Victor Ochei has exonerated himself from the allegation of fraud rocking the state’s Independent Power Plant (IPP) project.

    About N27 billion was alleged to be missing from the money earmarked for the project and the Speaker was fingered.

    Ochei, who spoke to The Nation in Asaba yesterday, said he would be vindicated.

    Ochei explained that although he was no longer involved in the project , he was sure that the project had reached an advance stage.

    He decried the speculation that the project site was overgrown with weeds.

    According to him, the speculation was to discredit the Emmanuel Uduaghan administration, whose blueprint for the development of the state had impacted positively on the people.

    He said: “I challenge members of the fourth estate of the realm to visit the project site and then come back to ask me questions.

    “This is a governor who is doing selfless services for the state.

    ”His three-point agenda and ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ policy has taken the state to the next level .

    “Yet, some disgrunted people, who are blind to what is good, are dissipating their energy on campaign of calumny against Uduaghan.”

    He said time would vindicate him in the allegation that he embezzled IPP funds.

    “People should not expect a project of such magnitude to be completed within a short time.

    “Such projects should not be politicised. It takes time, resources and energy to complete. By the time the project comes on, facts will speak for themselves.”

  • Firms to invest $1b in 450Mw IPP

    Firms to invest $1b in 450Mw IPP

    Azura Power Holdings Limited (APHL), a private sector company, is working with 13 firms and financiers to invest $1 billion in the Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant (IPP) to generate 450 Megawatts (Mw) of electricity.

    Receiving the investors in her office in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, described the deal as a huge display of confidence not just in the power sector but in the economy.

    She said: “By committing this level of financing, which is virtually $1 billion, it means you have great confidence in the country.”

    Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said the lead sponsor of the IPP is APHL, which is owned by Amaya Capital and American Capital Energy & Infrastructure.

    She said: “PHL is co-sponsors in the Azura project consisting of the Edo State government, Aldwych international, Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund 2 (AIIF), and Asset and Resource Management (ARM).”

    She said the combination of the two sources of simultaneous lending has unlocked more than $700 million investment in a large scale IPP and more than $300million worth of investments in gas processing, for a total of $1 billion worth of investments.

    She said: ’’This milestone project is also being supported with guarantees and insurance coverage by the World Bank and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).’’

  • Lagos students for training on energy

    The Lagos Power Kids Programme (LAPK), an energy initiative of the Lagos State Government implemented by the Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB) in collaboration with the EKO Project and Society of Petroleum Engineers, will begin on January 29.

    The initiative is part of the Lagos State Government’s Energy Development Plan to improve energy efficiency and conservation practice amongst its citizens.

    A press statement from the office of the General Manager, LSEB Mrs.Damilola Ogunbiyi, said the programme will have about 1,000 students participating.

    They will be taught energy & electricity, energy conservation & efficiency, dangers of electricity & simple circuit experiment, sources of energy, solar energy as well as oil & gas.

    The participants will also visit LSEB office, solar farm as well as the recently commissioned Alausa Independent Power Plant (IPP) responsible for sustainable power supply to the Lagos State Government Secretariat Alausa.

     

  • Why Oando is investing in power sector

    Why Oando is investing in power sector

    Oando Gas and Power (OGP) realises the correlation between electricity and the development of any society, and it is this reason that made it go into independent power production (IPP) with natural gas to close the supply gap, the firm has explained in a statement.

    The firm lamented that despite the abundance of sources of electricity generation including natural gas, coal, water resources, high insulation, fissionable materials, biomass, among others, power situation in Nigeria remains inadequate and unreliable.

    According to the firm, in 2001, a report by the United Nations Developmental Programme (UNDP) showed that about 60 per cent of Nigerians have no access to electric power supply, adding that currently, peak energy demand for the country is estimated at 10,000 megawatts (MW), with total generation put at 6,000MW, while actual daily generation oscilates between 2,000Mw and 3,500Mw.

    “Over the past two decades, Nigeria’s population has increased to about 160 million, while power generation capacity has stagnated.

    “These factors, combined with the poor maintenance of existing power generation stations, inadequate gas supply, hydrological variations, vandalisation of gas supply, transmission and distribution facilities, led to loss of large quantum of energy,” the firm added in the statement.

    State, the State House of Assembly, and all state ministries and adjoining campuses.

    The Alausa IPP is managed by Alausa Power Limited (APP), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established for the development of captive power solutions with a primary focus on the construction of dedicated power generation plants for the Lagos State Government. Remarkably, it is also the second successful IPP for OGP following the Akute Power Limited’s 12.15MW power plant which was commissioned to improve power supply to the Lagos Water Corporation.

    Alausa IPP provides a consistent, viable, and cost-friendly alternative to the current erratic power supply to the secretariat provided by a combination of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, and to a larger extent self-generation via diesel engines. The mere fact that the Alausa IPP is a natural gas fired plant will help to significantly reduce the carbon pollution that emanates from the 70 plus diesel generators that are currently in use, and will lead to a drastic reduction in the LASG Secretariat’s fuel costs by over 70 per cent. Undoubtedly, the presence of consistent and reliable power supply to the secretariat will increase the functionality and efficacy of its employees within the secretariat, which are paramount to the progression of the state.

    From 1970 to the present, carbon emissions increased by 30 per cent in developed countries, while increasing 80 per cent in developing countries. Researchers believe that using combinations of resources different from those used in the past to produce electricity—and integrating them in a cost-effective way—could ease the health, economic, and environmental effects of an increase in demand for electricity services.

    It is estimated that the entire Alausa secretariat requires an average of 4.0 megawatts; 5.5MW during peak periods, and about 0.5MW during off peak periods. The disconnection of the secretariat complex from the PHCN grid should make improved electricity available to many residents in Lagos State, thus enhancing security for home owners and road users at night. In addition, the project is expected to provide various classes of employment, from local labour to specialized experienced services.

    In pursuit of its aspiration to build the largest gas grid in sub-Saharan Africa, OGP’s East Horizon Gas Company (EHGC), another Special Purpose Vehicle in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, completed an inter-state 128 km gas pipeline project in the first quarter of 2011. Presently, the grid delivers gas to United Cement Company (UNICEM) in Calabar, as well as other consumers in the Cross River-Akwa Ibom industrial cluster.

    Oando Gas and Power is also set to deploy Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) from its Lagos-based mother station, thus guaranteeing access to the benefits of natural gas for small scale and stranded consumers beyond its pipeline coverage.

  • Ngige assures on improved power supply

    Ngige assures on improved power supply

    The Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Power and Steel, Senator Chris Ngige, has assured that there would be improvement in power supply across the country soon.

    The senator, representing Anambra Central District, gave the assurance while fielding questions from journalists in Awka on Tuesday.

    According to him, the Independent Power Plant (IPP) programme being carried out by government is aimed at alleviating the suffering of Nigerians over the epileptic power supply in the country.

    The senator assured that the IPP programmes would save small and medium scale industries from closing shops.

    Ngige assured that Awka residents would soon begin to enjoy improved power supply with the new transmission line at Agu-Awka power station coming on stream.

    He said the Agu-Awka power station, a new transmission line in Anambra, was already being test-run for the past three weeks, and would be officially commissioned soon.

    “This is part of the Independent Power Plant (IPP) programme of the Federal Government on the power sector.

    “What we have in Agu-Awka power station is a new transmission line under a test run and that explains why in the past three weeks major parts of the state capital have been enjoying uninterrupted power supply,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Ngige as saying to journalists on Tuesday.

    He said that it had helped to reduce transformers’ overloading in the state capital and improved power supply to the neighbouring communities of Nibo, Mbaukwu, Umuawulu and Amawbia towns of Awka South Local Government Area.