The Wärtsilä Group strengthens its presence in Senegal with the signing of an engineering, manufacturing and delivery contract for a 130 megawatt (MW) Flexicycle plant that will be an integral part of Senegal’s energy future. The project of Malicounda power station in Mbour is located 85 km from Dakar, the capital of the country. The order, registered in March, was made by Matelec, a provider of the independent energy producer MPG (Melec Power Gen) and entity of the Matelec group, based in Lebanon.
The project is part of Senegal’s strategy to increase energy production while reducing the cost of electricity for consumers in the medium term. It is important to note that the Wärtsilä thermal power plant solution will provide the necessary flexibility to facilitate the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the country’s grid. In addition, Senegal is creating its future energy plan and exploring other key technologies, including energy storage. The project was initiated in September 2017 with the signing of a development agreement between Africa 50, the Infrastructure Development Fund for Africa, and Senelec, Senegal’s public electricity utility.
Wärtsilä Flexicycle power plants combine the advantages of a simple and flexible cycle plant with the excellent efficiency of a combined cycle power plant. The Flexicycle solution is based on a gas, multi-fuel or liquid fuel power station combined with a steam turbine. Flexicycle power plants can operate in both highly efficient combined cycle mode and in simple, dynamic and fast cycle mode.
The installation comprises seven Wärtsilä 50 engines running on heavy fuel oil (HFO) and convertible to gas as soon as it is available. Senegal and Mauritania have signed an intergovernmental cooperation agreement to develop substantial gas resources to be shared between the two countries.
“This is a big and very important energy project for Senegal. We needed a reliable and qualified partner to design and deliver a flexible and reliable energy system now and to support the evolution of our energy infrastructure. Thanks to its global and pan-African experience, Wärtsilä fully meets the requirements of the project, “commented Sami Soughayar, CEO of Matelec Group.
“Wärtsilä has a well-established presence in Senegal and throughout West Africa, and our global credentials are ample proof of our ability to provide effective, reliable and flexible solutions. We are proud to have been selected as the equipment supplier for this important project, “said Arnaud Gouet, Regional Director, West Africa, Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.
The facility is expected to be operational by 2020. Wärtsilä already has 450 MW of installed capacity in Senegal and is the leading supplier of power generation equipment in the country.
