Lagos State depends on an estimated 4.5 million fossil-fuel generator sets as the national grid meets only about 20 per cent of electricity demand in the state, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, has disclosed.
The widespread reliance on generators drives up energy costs for businesses and residents, while worsening noise and environmental pollution, according to the commissioner.
Delivering the lead presentation recently at a panel on Urban Renewal, Regeneration and the Transformation of Older Cities, Ogunleye cited a 2024 study by Sustainable Energy for All and the Lagos State Government, which estimated that about 4.5 million fossil-fuel generator sets operate in Lagos.
The study also put annual carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from generators in the state at an estimated 39 million tonnes.