Plant Powers Lagos Establishments, StreetlightsAs the state of energy supply nationwide continues to deteriorate, mega corporations operating in Broad Street and Marina axis, the financial hub of the country, are beginning to divert their interest to the 15 Megawatts (MWs) Island Power Limited, delivered last May as flagship of the Lagos Independent Power Project (LIPP).How soon the project Negris Limited executed under a public private partnership (PPP) scheme with the state government will extend its service to private organisations is still unknown, even to the technical managers. Yet, members of the business community continue to visit the plant sited at the upper edge of Inner Marina to make demands. They want to switch over their source to the plant.On Thursday, an engineer of the Nigerian Postal Service was there, like many others, on behalf of his employer. He was simply asked to tender his enquiry at Aluasa (Lagos State Government House), as those who manned the centre were merely 'site workers' with little knowledge on the process of enlisting new customer. Earlier, United Bank for Africa Plc and Conoil Plc, it was learnt, called for similar reason. They were said to be directed to the appropriate authority at Alausa.According to sources, the promoters, sometime last year, extended a letter of offer to companies doing business in Lagos Island. Many indicated interest in switching over to the plant on agreed terms. Hence, those who did are interested in knowing the position of their applications now that the plant is operational with some level of success.Already, most public utilities belonging to the state government in the area as well as streetlights on Inner and Outer Marina, CMS, Igbosere, Ozumba Mbadiwe and other places in the axis, are powered by the plant. The General Hospital, Island Maternity, Health Service Commission, Island Freedom Park, Lagos High Court, High Court Annex, Magistrate Court, e-Learning and State House in the Island are some institutions that are lighted by the plant.The beneficiaries are said to have detach form the service of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). They maintain only backup generators.The Plant Manager of Island Power Limited (the unit managing the plant), Femi Oladunjoye, said the company, by agreement, is expected to guarantee 24-hour supply. Hence, it supplies diesel to its clients to power alternative generators whenever there is need to carry out maintenance work on the plant.Indeed, the plant does experience down moments. Last two weeks, the plant was shut down; it resumed operation on April 6 and worked for three days. Last Monday, it was turned off again. Till Thursday afternoon when The Guardian visited, the plant was still down, though the manager said it would be switched on later in the day.He explained that a 250kVA generator, known as black start, that powers auxiliaries of the plant before the main generators and gas engines pick needed some maintenance work. That, he said, was responsible for the incessant stoppage of operations in recent times.Island power plant is built and maintained by Negris but owned by Lagos State. The plant is a pilot scheme of the government comprehensive energy plan that was muted by the former governor, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The plant, built between 2010 and 2011, has a total of six smooth-running generators comprising of four gas engines of 1.5 MWs each and two diesel engines of two MWs each. In combination, it hosts 10MWs. But the target is 15MW, and this is said to remain the goal of the owners.In terms of generation and maintenance, gas is cheaper than diesel. This, according to Oladunjoye, is the reason the company is currently operating on gas while diesel is considered a backup. Because of the capacity of loads it currently power, it utilises between three and four MWs.
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