Environmental Consultant and CEO, Macpresse West Africa Limited, Idowu Salawu has commended plans by the Oyo State Government to tap into renewable energy sources, such that it will come from the utilization of landfill gas from Awotan dumpsite.
Oyo State is managing four dumpsites namely Ajakanga, Awotan, Aba-Eku, and Lapite.
Salawu whose company is handling the rehabilitation of the dumpsite stated this while speaking with journalists on the potentials embedded in the 12.5 Hectare of land where the dumpsite is located in Ibadan.
He added that revitalisation, rebuilding and reforming processes at the dumpsite, after completion, would develop Oyo State’s electricity supply chain, if the State partners with a Solar Energy company.
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Salawu further said tapping into the renewable energy potentials of the dumpsite would be a good support for the Federal Government’s off-grid power supply in the State. He added that this will bring in more electricity supply to Oyo State.
According to him, the decision to tap into the solar and landfill gas, as the end use of the dumpsite is the best decision, because the government does not have to worry itself on the Federal Government’s off-grid supply of electricity, once we partner with a solar energy company.
He affirmed that the end use of the dumpsite is for it to generate electricity of One Megawatt per hectare, adding that landfill gas on the dumpsite can conveniently generate energy for electricity.
He stressed that the rehabilitation of the dumpsite is one of the prerequisites for the clean and green initiative of the State Government.
The move, he pointed out, has converted the brown environment into a green economy, which in turn has affected the host community.
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The Environmental Consultant said the government has established a value chain of employment with not less than 200 skilled and semi-skilled staff on the dumpsite, which is one of the benefits of the rehabilitation process to the host community.
“Today, we have employed skilled and unskilled men on this project. This is one of the many advantages of this rehabilitation process to Awotan, the host community”, he said.
Speaking further, Salawu said it was obvious that the rehabilitation process has affected the socio-economic activities of the host community.
On the stage at which the project is on, Salawu added that the process has reached 80 per cent state of completion.
“The dumpsite, after completion, would be the last place where waste would come from PSPs. The dumpsite now has a 1Km access road, which makes it easy for heavy-duty waste compactors to come in and it has reached 80 per cent completion”, he said.
Salawu, however, called for attitudinal change among residents of the State. He also said commercialization of the sector in line with the best international practices may be the best option for Oyo State Government.
