Lagos Govt to Expand IPP Capacity, Resuscitates ‘Light UP’ Project

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday said his administration would expand the capacity of the state-owned Independent Power Plant (IPP) to optimize production and supply.

 The IPP, built in October 2013 in Alausa, Ikeja, is one of the power plants conceived and developed by the state government to provide electricity to several public institutions in the Ikeja and its environs and also powers key public infrastructure, including streetlights on major highways.

Sanwo-Olu has revealed his administration’s intention to harness private investment to boost the output of the IPP in response to the growing need to sustain the “Light-Up Lagos” project of his predecessor and absorb more public offices in the state-owned power grid.

The governor who made known during a tour of the IPP facility in Alausa, currently being managed on behalf of the state government by Alausa Power Limited, said the government’s quest to upscale the output of the IPP is seen as a major move to optimize the capacity of the power plant, seven years after it was built.

“We considered embarking on this facility inspection of the Lagos IPP to see how we will optimize the current usage of the plant early this year, given the growing demand for electricity to power public facilities around.

 “Knowing the current output of the power plant is necessary for us to decide what kind of investment required to solve the operational issues and upscale the output.

When the IPP was built in 2013, it boosted the capacity of the government’s offices in Alausa and help us in our ‘Light-Up Lagos’ project. But, there is a need for us to expand the services for more coverage,” he said

The governor accompanied on the inspection tour by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olalere Odusote and General Manager of Lagos State Electricity Board, Mr. Mukhtar Tijani.