Power plant inaugurated in Senegal

Wärtsilä has announced that the new Cap des Biches power plant has been inaugurated in Senegal. The 53 MW Flexicycle plant comprises three Wärtsilä 46 internal combustion engines and a combined cycle heat recovery system. The ceremony was hosted by the owner of the plant, ContourGlobal.

The power plant will feed electricity to the national grid under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) between ContourGlobal and Senelec, the national electricity company of Senegal. The project is designed so that the plant can quickly be converted to natural gas as soon as it becomes available. Senelec has announced plans to invest in a floating LNG (FLNG) regasification terminal.

The project is financed by International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank Group, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). The project is part of the U.S. Government's Power for Africa initiative, which aims to add 30 000 MW of new power generation capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Wärtsilä and ContourGlobal have already signed a contract to expand the power plant with two additional Wärtsilä 46 engines having a combined capacity of 34 MW. Once completed, the 87 MW power plant will provide a 10% increase to Senegal's current total generation capacity of 860 MW, making it critical covering the growing electricity demand in Senegal. The parties have also signed a five-year maintenance and spare part agreement. 

Joseph C. Brandt, CEO of ContourGlobal, said: "The Cap des Biches power plant proceeded from concept to the live generation of electricity in just 14 months - twice as fast as similar projects. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the commitment of President Macky Sall and the close cooperation of Senelec, OPIC, IFC and our construction partner Wärtsilä."

Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/14062016/power-plant-inaugurated-in-senegal-2598/