A Dutch waste-to-energy specialist has formed a partnership with the government of Lagos State in Nigeria to build a plant to power some 40,000 homes.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Harvest Waste signed the deal in Ikeja yesterday.

They aim to build a waste-to-energy plant on a landfill site in the town of Epe about 20km east of Lagos.

The fuel for the plant will be made up of municipal garbage and commercial and industrial waste.

The project will be carried out under a public-private partnership, and when complete will have a capacity of up to 75MW.

The plant will handle 2,250 tonnes of waste a day, diverting some 95% of the city’s waste from landfill.

Sanwo-Olu said the agreement promised to “transform waste management and energy production in our state”.

Leonie Van der Stijl, the Hague’s deputy consul general in the state, said Lagos would be the first partner of the Dutch waste management sector.