KARMOL’s first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) has arrived in Dakar, marking a major step forward in Karpowership’s LNG-to-Power project to supply reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy to Senegal.
The FSRU travelled from Singapore, where it was constructed in a 50/50 joint venture between Karpowership and Japanese firm Mitsui OSK Lines, called KARMOL. This is the first completed FSRU from the KARMOL partnership.
The FSRU, KARMOL LNGT Powership Africa, arrived in Senegalese waters on 31st of May and will be positioned at its mooring location to commence the commissioning process.
The vessel will connect to a Powership, a floating power plant, owned by Karpowership, through gas pipelines. The Karadeniz Powership Ayşegül Sultan, has a capacity of 235MW and has been in operation since October 2019, supplying 15% of Senegal’s electricity with 220MW of power to Senegal’s grid.
Karpowership sees the combination of FSRUs and Powerships as a ground-breaking solution in their mission to bring LNG utilized power generation to countries with no natural gas infrastructure or supply.
The FSRU, which was developed by Sembcorp Marine in Singapore, is 272 meters long and has a capacity of 125,000 cubic meters. The FSRU arrives with a supply of LNG on board and the first refuelling will be carried out by Shell in July.
This is a landmark moment in KARMOL’s plans to provide stable electricity powered by efficient, cleaner fuels to many more countries in the region and throughout the globe. LNG is widely recognized as a fuel of the future. It’s much cleaner than other fossil fuels, it is a sustainable, affordable way of meeting power needs, and fast tracks the energy transition as countries embark on a longer-term switch to renewables.
SENELEC highlights that partnering with Karpowership and utilizing the KARMOL FSRU is an important element of their ambitious gas-to-power strategy and will speed-up the conversion of key energy facilities to gas operations.
About KARMOL:
In 2019, Karpowership and MOL (Mitsui O.S.K Lines) established a joint venture with the mission of becoming the world’s most reliable and preferable LNG-to-Power solution provider, under the brand name of “KARMOL”. Since then, KARMOL has been investing in related assets and joint marketing its solution in selected markets around the world.
About SENELEC:
SENELEC is a public limited company with a majority public shareholding that is responsible for the production, transmission, distribution and sale of electrical energy, as well as the identification, financing and construction of new facilities within its scope. SENELEC serves 1,596,000 customers and is one of the three largest companies in Senegal.
About Karpowership:
Karpowership is the pioneer behind the modern “Powership”. With 12 years of experience in the floating power
plant industry, Karpowership has 5 GW of installed capacity operating across 11 international markets. Powerships are a flexible solution, and can provide base load, mid-merit, or peak shaving electricity generation capacity to a host country’s grid. As a plug and play solution, Powerships are ready to deploy and can generate electricity in as little as 90 days. In addition to the Senegal project, plans are underway for LNG-to-power generation in Mozambique. Karpowership has also recently been selected by South Africa’s energy ministry as a preferred bidder to provide LNG-to-power across three sites, totalling 1220MW.
About MOL:
Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Ltd. (MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world, and the large LNG Carrier Operator. MOL’s fleet includes dry cargo ships, liquefied natural gas carriers, Ro-Ro Car Carrierships, tankers and also diversifiesits businessto maritime related industries.
