Dutch Backs Lagos €120m Waste-to-Electricity Project –Commissioner

Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources
Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resourcesgoogle
Published on

The Lagos State Government has secured a significant investment of €120 million from the Dutch Government to advance its waste-to-energy initiative in partnership with Harvest Waste Consortium, a Dutch firm.

This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, via his official social media account on Wednesday.

The project is expected to convert a portion of Lagos' waste into electricity at the decommissioned Epe landfill, with an expected processing capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 tons of waste daily. This is part of a broader effort to manage the approximately 13,000 to 14,000 tons of waste generated in the state each day.

Wahab emphasized that this initiative is crucial for the state's waste management strategy, which seeks to minimize landfill use and promote sustainability.

In his statement, Wahab noted that the Lagos State Government is actively decommissioning several landfills to facilitate new waste management projects with international partners.

He highlighted that major dumpsites such as Olusosun and Solous are nearing decommissioning, paving the way for innovative waste management solutions.

Wahab expressed optimism about the project's potential impact, stating that once fully operational, only 3% to 4% of Lagos's waste would end up in landfills.

Additionally, it is worth noting that last year, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) announced its collaboration with C40 and G-ORBIT Enterprise to explore converting organic waste into biogas for electricity generation.

However, the proposed waste-to-energy plant has faced criticism from environmental groups. Activists argue that such incineration technologies contradict Lagos's aspirations for sustainability and could pose risks to public health and environmental integrity.

They emphasize that incineration often results in toxic byproducts and may not be as efficient as claimed.

logo
Latest Lagos Local News - Lagoslocalnews.com
www.lagoslocalnews.com