‘How switch from diesel to gas aided 70% drop in energy costs’

Tosett Agro Industries Ltd, an industrial firm, says it has seen energy costs fall by 70 per cent and lowered carbon emissions from its operations following its decision to switch from diesel to gas plant.

Femi Olaoye, the company’s head of operations started that beyond uninterrupted power supply, which has reduced the frequency of machine breakdown due to the sensitive nature of factory equipment, the consistency has helped the company better serve its customers.

Olaoye said: “The major factor was that the quantity of diesel supplied and its cost did not yield an equal amount of work. In addition, difficulties around sourcing quality diesel abound as all the problems with diesel management.

“When you look at the cost of one standard cubic meter of gas versus the equivalent quantity of diesel, you will see that the difference in savings is massive. Gas is almost 70 per cent less in terms of cost. So, it has saved us a lot of money as energy costs have come down.”

Clarke Energy, a multinational specialist energy solutions firm, supplied the 5.1 megawatts (MW) gas power plant solution at Tosett Agro Industries Ltd and its sister company JB Farms Ltd. The supply included design, technical drawings, engines, installation, and commissioning and currently provides equipment maintenance.

The Managing Director of Clarke Energy in Nigeria, Yiannis Tsantilas said, “Clarke Energy has demonstrated its expertise in delivering reliable and durable power solutions to boost profitable agro-industrial processing in Nigeria.”

Its relationship with the leaders at Tosett Agro began before the commissioning of the initial 3.4 megawatts (MW) first phase installation in 2017.

“The expansion was possible because of the extraordinary leadership foresight at Tosett/JB Farms and their strong commitment to serving the expanding domestic demand for oil palm products. At the same time, ensuring food and feedstock security in Nigeria, through backward integration and creating wealth, especially for the farmers.”

Olaoye described that Clarke Energy provides the company with predictive and preventive support services because the generators are internet-enabled, allowing remote monitoring and support.

Nigeria has a deficit of about three million metric tonnes of edible oils and Tosett/JB Farms like many other companies are working to fill that gap.

“Before now, many of the oils we consumed were imported and of low quality. But since we came into the field, we have been producing high-quality international standard oils for local consumption and industrial use”, says Olaoye

Olaoye said improved local production of edible oils has reduced the volume of foreign exchange spent on importation, provides feedstock for companies, and creates employment.