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Lagos power projects receives boost with transformer plant

By on June 15, 2013

The quest of the Lagos State Government to ensure stable electricity for the residents through Independent Power projects (IPP) has been advanced with the commissioning of a transformer manufacturing plant in the state. This landmark achievement by the state government, would not only aid the supply of transformers to the state but to the entire nation and Africa, as it was the first of its kind to be established in West Africa.

The transformer manufacturing company, El Sewedy Electrical Nigerian Limited, which is a joint venture between the Lagos State Government and the EL Sewedy Group of Cairo, Egypt, is expected to complement the efforts of the state in becoming self reliant on electricity issues. Already, the state has embarked on some Independent Power Projects, which are currently generating over 12 Mega Watts of electricity and it has not stopped at that.

According to him, the present administration has followed on that first by delivering another Independent Power Project that has delivered 12megawatts to Adiyan and Akute waterworks as at today.

The Governor informed that the administration has not stopped there but has put another IPP on stream which hopefully by the first quarter of 2011 would have delivered another 15 megawatts that would supply electricity to the whole of the Central Business District on the Lagos Island.

Other benefiting areas according to the Governor would include the Lagos General Hospital, Island Maternity Hospital, State House, Lagos High Court and at least 30 streets which would be taken off diesel power supply by the first quarter of next year. He said the successes of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, in which he also served, has challenged the present Government to intervene in the area of power distribution since the availability of power logically brings up the issue of transmission, taking it to the roads with cables, transformers and meters.

Governor Fashola said the next stage is to commit at least 20million US Dollars to the manufacture of meters and El Sewedy is interested in investing up to 100million Dollars in the generation of power. He said the unveiling of the power sector reform by the Federal Government will even make things easier in the sector and provide the opportunity for the State to make the investment.

The Lagos State Governor asserted that the time has come for proffering African solution to African problems, noting that the perseverance displayed by El Sewedy before the project came full stream might not have been possible with a foreign organization.

“Let us begin to deploy African solution to African problems. There is no rocket science in what we have done. In many parts of the world transformer manufacturing is part of a cottage industry and it should not be different in Lagos or any other parts of the country”.

“Regular and steady electricity remains the only missing infrastructure that is mitigating against the growth of the economy of this country and the actualization of the potentials of our people, their freedom from poverty and as long as we remain in Government here we commit to putting the misery of electricity behind us once and for all”, the Governor said.

Of course, the plan to establish the transformer manufacturing company in Lagos did not start yesterday, it was plan conceived over a year ago. In the words of the Governor: “the first milestone is behind us. What was a dream has become a reality and it happened in less than two years. We are sure it is not rocket science. Our people are already employed here, not less than a 100 people are already working here”.

He reiterated that the produced transformers are already strengthening the rural electrification programme of the State Government with the entire request for transformers in the state to be purchased from the factory so that the money, the economy and the jobs would be kept locally.

In her address at the plant commissioning, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mrs Sola Oworu said the completion of the project is another manifestation of the successful collaboration with the private sector in project implementation. She disclosed that the project is a joint venture between El Sewedy Group of Egypt (94.74%) and the Lagos State Government (5.26%) as equity contributions.

 

 

 

[LagosIndicatorOnline]