The Prime Minister of Senegal, Mohamed Boun Abdallah Dionne, proceeded, Tuesday 16 January 2018, to the inauguration of the Ten Merina power plant located at 120 Kms northeast of Dakar.
The opening of this new 30 Megawatt plant comes six months after the inauguration of Senergy’s power plant.
The project will cover the electricity needs of more than 225 000 inhabitants at a more competitive cost than that of the country’s thermal power plants and will prevent the emission of 33 300 tons of CO2 per year by directly replacing production units at oil base.
The Ten Merina power station has the same characteristics as Senergy: a total capacity of 30 Megawatts (MWp), the use of the same technologies and the combination of the know-how of French specialists including the investment company Meridiam and the subsidiary of Engie, Solairedirect.
The project also provides for the construction of grid connection infrastructure on behalf of the Senegalese public buyer, namely the national electricity company (Senelec).
The plant that now bears the name of Cheikh Anta Diop cost 28 billion CFA francs and was set up thanks to the contribution of Meridiam, a French company specialized in the financing of infrastructures (75%), Eiffage, a French construction and concessions group, (15%) and Senegal’s sovereign investment fund (Fonsis) (10%).
After Senergy, this new powerhouse confirms the diversification dynamics of the Senegalese energy mix which until then was largely dependent on fossil fuels (90% of the mix).
The commissioning of Ten Merina, like that of Senergy, contributes to the realization of the Senegal Emergent Plan (PSE) of the government and confirms the will of Senegal to translate its commitments made at COP 21 in December 2015.
