The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says it is carrying out a study on the feasibility and viability of introducing biogas into the Lagos state transportation system.

The technical adviser, planning, LAMATA, Osa Konyeha, said this in an online programme, monitored by journalists on Friday in Lagos.

Mr Konyeha said that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu was interested in the project and had inaugurated a steering committee to drive it.

According to him, the project is making headway and the authority is looking at the necessary regulatory and legal framework to support it.

Mr Konyeha said that the project would attract private sector participation in the value chain for the development of biogas.

“With regard to what we are doing with biogas, we recognise of late that there are a lot of issues with availability of fuel. This has led to price increase in petrol and has impacted the availability of buses and services that we run.

“As a result, LAMATA has made conscious decisions to be a multifold agency.

“We are looking at not just electric buses, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, but other forms of cleaner energy, and this led us to biogas.

“Specially, we have conducted a study that looks at the viability of the use of biogas in Lagos.

“The study showed that with the amount of waste we have in Lagos, it is indeed feasible and viable to have biogas as a means of fueling our public transport or regulated service,” Mr Konyeha said.

He said that the authority was looking at the challenges that would be faced in harnessing the biogas industry, one of it being the legal and regulatory framework.

The technical adviser said that LAMATA was working with consultants to review its policies and the necessary instrument that would engender interest from the private sector to participate.

“We are looking at capacity building for stakeholders within the sector, because this is very new to us.

“We want to make sure that all stakeholders from the energy, procurement sector, legal side of things, everyone has got the necessary capacity to ensure we have a sustainable biogas production system that will help public transportation operations,” he said.

Mr Konyeha said that another challenge was how to make the buses compliant, adding that LAMATA had introduced the use of CNG and had made provision for 2,000 CNG buses.

“Another challenge has to do with technology, to ensure that the retrofitted buses are compatible with the technology that the biogas will need,” he said.

The technical adviser said that the authority was gathering data from other countries that had implemented such, like the Côte d’Ivoire, partnering with them to understand the challenges they faced.

He said that on economic viability, it would ensure that the value chain was financially feasible and viable, and that all stakeholders are comfortable with the chain.

“We will ensure that there is public acceptance, the Lagos residents will accept and adopt the biogas buses operation in the state.

“We are running campaigns, raising awareness on the benefits of biogas,” Mr Konyeha said.

 (NAN)