2017 power investment promise of leading cement manufacturer and construction solutions providers, Lafarge Africa Plc, is set to become reality as finishing touches are being given to the 16MW power plant to drive electricity efficiency in production at Ashaka Cement Company (ACC), Gombe State. ACC is a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa Plc, a member of LafargeHolcim, largest global cement conglomerate.
Explaining more during the recent 2018 award ceremony for its distributors, Managing Director, Ashaka Cement, Rabiu Abdullah Umar, said the company spent N11billion on the project, which began in 2017.
According to him, the new power plant, will not only release additional megawatts to the national grid, but also create employment opportunities, boost operational efficiency and tackle the high energy cost of the largest industry in Nigeria’s northeast.
Umar recalled that “Last year, we started our power plant, which is an N11billion project, and we will inaugurate the project soon, signaling the end to the use of generators for our operations.
“So, we are helping to remove ourselves from the demand for energy, and providing our own solution, which means a minimum of 16 megawatts of electricity, will now become available to the public grid for the people in the region to enjoy from. The power plant is our biggest plan aimed at reducing our costs,” he added.
He added that “We are grateful for the loyalty of our customers through the years which has allowed us to improve performance year on year. Lafarge Africa is keen on investing in Ashaka. The power plant, infrastructure, and cement capacity are all testament to this commitment. We are celebrating a good year and look forward to even better collaboration in 2019.”
Earlier in his keynote address, Country Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa, Michel Puchercos, said “This year, we are set to change the way we do business with our customers by empowering our customers to become partners. To achieve this, Lafarge Africa Plc has embarked on a business transformation project, which is aimed at improving operating efficiencies and interactions with our customers for a mutually beneficial relationship.
Our new strategy has started to deliver results and we are on a new path of profitable growth,” Puchercos disclosed.
