Lagos moves to power schools, hospitals with solar

The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Friday said the state government had concluded plans to generate five megawatts through the Lagos Solar Project for schools and healthcare centres.

Fashola, represented by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, disclosed this at the official commissioning of the Lagos Solar Project in Lagos.

The governor said the aim of the project was to provide 5mw of the embedded solar power to education and health facilities.

He said: “This project will deliver 213 sustainable solar power enclosures with an integrated battery bank and remote monitoring system to 172 public secondary schools.

“Also, 30 public secondary boarding schools and 11 public health centres located in the rural and riverine areas in Lagos State will benefit.”

The governor said the state recognised the importance of technology globally and the impact that good education and access to healthcare had on the development of the economy.

Fashola said the Lagos State Electricity Board had embarked on a ground breaking project to provide clean and sustainable power solution for schools and primary healthcare centres with little or no access to electricity.

He said the project was financed by the state government in partnership with the United Kingdom Department for International Development.

The governor said with the solar power project, coupled with the existing five Independent Power Projects, the government had generally increased the electricity supply in the state.

He also appreciated the assistance of their partners in the project.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Managing Director of Lagos State Electricity Board, said the project was managed centrally from the Project Management Office located within LSEB.

Ogunbiyi said: “With construction spread across 213 sites throughout the state, field activities are coordinated through five strategically located hubs, each run by a technical manager.

“The impact is to enable Lagos State to remain at the forefront of the use and implementation of innovative power solution, using renewable technology in an environment where power is a scarce but invaluable commodity.”