Measures introduced by GAC Nigeria to cut its generator use, fuel bills and carbon footprint have met their target two months ahead of schedule.As part of the GAC Group’s commitment to reducing the impact of operations on the environment, GAC Nigeria had installed a transformer to connect its head office in Lagos to the national grid. Although only available for part of each day, Nigeria’s grid electricity is cheaper than running diesel-powered generators and using it reduces carbon emissions.
It was estimated that it would take 13 months to recoup the cost of installing the transformer. However, the resulting savings paid for the capital investment in just 11 months.
Over that period, the GAC Lagos office took its power from the national grid for an average of just over 9 hours per day, producing significant monthly savings in diesel consumption.
The project was led by Martin Wills, GAC Nigeria’s Maintenance Manager, who says: “Despite three months when the grid electricity supply was poor, bringing down the daily average, our initiative has brought very real, measurable results – both for the environment and our budget. We are now looking forward to further savings in 2012.”
GAC’s Managing Director, Neale Proctor, adds: “GAC Nigeria and its customers can be proud of the fact that despite the challenges of the local operating environment, care for the environment remains high on our agenda. “This might only seem a small step in a city the size of Lagos, but if others follow the lead of GAC Nigeria, the result could have a huge positive impact.”
GAC’s commitment to such green initiatives is reflected by its Group-wide HSSE policy and the Chairman’s Award for Environmental Excellence, now in its third year. The Award recognises the achievements of GAC companies around the world that introduce measures that produce tangible results in reducing their impact on the environment. 
