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Thursday, June 16, 2016
The new Cap des Biches power plant was inaugurated in Senegal on June 13. 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, and the official inauguration of the plant was performed by the President of Senegal, Macky Sall.
The power plant will feed electricity to the national grid under a 20-year PPA between ContourGlobal and Senelec, the national electricity company of Senegal.
The Cap des Biches power plant was financed by the IFC and OPIC. The project is part of the US’ Power for Africa initiative, which aims to add 30,000 MW of new power generation capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
“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,” said Joseph C. Brandt, CEO of ContourGlobal.
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.
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 FLNG regasification terminal. This will improve Senegal’s fuel security, reduce carbon emissions, and lower the cost of electricity to the consumer.
With the Cap des Biches extension project completed, Wärtsilä’s installed capacity in Senegal will reach 465 MW, some 55% of the country’s total capacity.
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