Malicounda Dual Fuel Power Project in Senegal nears completion

Construction of the Malicounda Dual Fuel Power Project in Senegal is nearing completion. The project developers; MP Energy (previously Melec PowerGen Inc), Senelec (National Electricity Company of Senegal), and Africa 50, an Investment Bank for Infrastructure in Africa confirmed the report and said that the project is 95% complete and set for operations in November this year.

The power plant project involves a 120 MW combined cycle thermal power plant under construction 85 kilometres from Dakar, designed to produce at least 956 GWh of power a year. It will initially run on fuel oil but is expected to be converted to natural gas when this becomes available from local fields.

Construction of the project began in 2019 and located in a village in the M’bour Department of the Thiès Region in western Senegal. The electricity generated will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement and fed into the network through an existing 225kV substation adjacent to the site.

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Increase electricity generating capacity

The plant is expected to increase the electricity generating capacity in Senegal by at least 17% reducing generation costs by approximately 14%. This could result in a 3-7% fall in tariffs and a 1-3% rise in the country’s Gross domestic product (GDP).

The plant is also expected to help satisfy base loads, facilitating the integration of intermittent renewable power into the West African country’s network. This type of combined-cycle power plant produces higher output at higher efficiencies (up to 55%) with lower emissions than the older open-cycle plants presently being used.

When converted to gas, the Malicounda Dual Fuel Power Plant will form part of the evolution of Senegal’s energy mix from diesel which currently counts for about 75% of total generation capacity, to renewables, reducing gas emissions significantly. The project has created approximately 300 jobs during the construction phase and approximately 50 to 60 jobs will be created during the operation phase.