By Olusegun Aribike
The Lagos State Government and Fenchurch Group have begun a 26-megawatt power project to provide electricity for water facilities serving up to six million residents.
Mr Olufemi Bakare, Group Chief Executive Officer of Fenchurch Group, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
Bakare said the Akute Independent Power Plant would power the Akute Intake, Iju Waterworks and Adiyan Waterworks, with excess electricity supplied to the Ikeja Electric network.
He said Fenchurch secured the concession through its special purpose vehicle, Aggregate Utilities Ltd., under an agreement with the Lagos State Government.
According to him, the project involves replacing existing engines at the plant with MWM gas-powered units supplied by the company’s Original Equipment Manufacturer partner, Jubaili Bros.
Bakare said the first phase would generate 9MW before being scaled up to 26MW in the second phase.
He said equipment for the first phase was already in Nigeria and work had commenced at the project site.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Biodun Ogunleye, said the project would operate under strict performance requirements.
Ogunleye spoke during an inspection of equipment at the Jubaili Bros facility in Oregun, Lagos.
“The contracts we now have are strictly performance-based,” he said, adding that producers must be committed to delivering on their obligations.
He said the state would closely monitor implementation to prevent delays and ensure that the facility delivered its intended service.
Ogunleye said the 26MW output represented the peak electricity requirement at the location, adding that the capacity could be expanded in future.
Bakare said reliable electricity was essential to sustaining the state’s investment in water infrastructure.
“Water needs power. Lagos State has invested significantly in its water infrastructure, and our mandate is to keep it running reliably, around the clock,” he said.
He said Fenchurch would also make surplus electricity available to Ikeja Electric through an embedded generation arrangement.
Mrs Kemi Ojo, Commercial Director of Fenchurch Group, said Zenith Bank was financing the project, while Fenchurch had provided about 28 per cent of the required capital expenditure.
Ojo said Zenith Bank had offered to finance the outstanding portion of the project cost.
She said equipment deployment and other major activities were expected to accelerate within 90 days, with live commissioning projected for the first quarter of 2027.
Mr Agiri Mustapha, Head of Production at the Lagos Water Corporation, said that the power project is being implemented alongside the ongoing rehabilitation of key water infrastructure by the Lagos Water Corporation.
He said that the rehabilitation covers the Iju Headworks and Akute Intake Station and includes two new raw-water pumps at Akute with a combined capacity of 24 million gallons per day.
According to him, Iju Waterworks has an installed capacity of 45 million gallons per day, while Adiyan Waterworks has 70 million gallons per day.
“Together, the two facilities account for more than half of the corporation’s 210 million gallons per day installed capacity.
“Adiyan Phase II is expected to add another 70 million gallons per day when completed,” he said.
The official said the facilities to be powered by the plant could have a combined capacity of about 185 million gallons per day after the upgrades.
Mustapha said electricity was critical because most of the corporation’s pumps depended on power.
Also, the General Manager of Jubaili Bros Nigeria, Mr Ahmad Dahshi, said the new units were MWM gas engines assembled in Germany and packaged locally.
Dahshi said the engines could operate for about 80,000 hours or more before a major overhaul if maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications. (NAN)
Edited by Yunus Yusuf
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