Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants and services to the global power generation market, has been awarded the contracts to expand two existing power plants, delivered by Wärtsilä, in Senegal. These contracts, valued at nearly €60m, were signed with Senelec, the country’s public utility company.
Wärtsilä will supply turnkey extension solutions to two existing power plants. The Bel Air power plant was built in 2005 and the Kahone plant in 2006. Both facilities are powered by 18 cylinder Wärtsilä 46 engines, and are maintained and operated by Wärtsilä under a 15 year agreement signed in 2006. The extension projects will provide two additional 18 cylinder Wärtsilä 46 engines to each site, which will increase output with 34MW to reach a total of 102MW on each site.
"The main focus in all our discussions with the Senegalese authorities was the urgency of the situation. There was enormous pressure to come up with a solution that could quickly and efficiently alleviate the challenges relating to the nation’s rapidly increasing need for power. Senelec is already very familiar with the advantages of Wärtsilä’s proven technology and smart power generation benefits. The reason for Wärtsilä being awarded this contract was our ability to engineer, deliver and construct these extensions to two power plants in just 12 months," says Tony van Velzen, regional director, Africa, Wärtsilä Power Plants.
Wärtsilä has a leading position in supplying flexible power plants to West Africa. In Senegal alone, Wärtsilä has already supplied 14 power plants with a combined electrical output of more than 220MW.
Wärtsilä West Africa is headquartered in Dakar and also has facilities in Conakry, Guinea and Lomé, Togo. Altogether 125 persons are employed to serve customers throughout the region. Approximately half of these are dedicated to supplying operations and maintenance services that ensure the contracted power plants are run with maximum efficiency.
Smart power generation
Wärtsilä has pioneered a smart power generation approach to meeting the future needs of the global energy market. In order to provide a reliable and secure delivery of electricity and to balance supply with demand, flexibility in fuel choice and operational requirements is essential. Wärtsilä is a market leader in providing flexible, efficient, and dynamic power generating capacity.