The 130 MW Malicounda Melec power plant in Mbour.
Plant is one of the first public-private partnership projects in West Africa
Senegal’s power generation capacity has been boosted with the commissioning of a new power plant powered by heavy fuel oil engines.
It was one of the first public-private partnership projects in West Africa, involving the African Development Bank, the Africa50 investment platform, the Infrastructure Development Fund for Africa and Senelec, the Senegal’s state electricity company.
The Malicounda plant in Mbour, 85 km south of Dakar, is expected to provide 956 GWh of energy per year and its operator, energy company Matelec, says it will increase the power generation capacity of the country by 17%.
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The engines, which may also run on natural gas in the future, have been supplied by Finnish energy company Wärtsilä, which is Senegal’s main supplier of power generation equipment and already has 543 MW of installed capacity. lada in 20 plants throughout the country.
The Malicounda plant consists of seven 18V50 engines and a steam turbine. Wärtsilä said its load-following fast feed capability “means the plant is ideal for maintaining system reliability and is able to provide the necessary flexibility as intermittent renewable energy is progressively added to Senegal’s electricity grid”.
The plant is part of the government’s Plan Sénégal Emergent to strengthen the country’s emerging economy and provide access to electricity for all by 2025.
“We are confident that this highly efficient plant will enable Senegal to reduce electricity production costs,” said Marc Thiriet, Africa Director of Wärtsilä Energy.
Listen: Podcast with Anja Frada, Chief Operating Officer of Wärtsilä Energy.
