Gas conversion project to accelerate Senegal’s move to cleaner energy production

Wärtsilä is to convert the 90 MW Bel-Air power plant in Dakar, Senegal, to operate on LNG. The plant, which is owned by Senelec, Senegal’s public utility company, currently operates on heavy fuel oil.

The conversion will future-proof the facility as Senegal’s long-term strategy is to lower the carbon footprint of energy production by switching to gas when a domestic supply is available. The project is part of an interim LNG-to-power ‘bridge’ solution and is the first such power plant gas conversion in Senegal.

‘Future-proofing the customer’s assets to meet the requirements over the lifecycle via a gas conversion is far more cost-effective than building a new plant. It also facilitates the greater use of energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, since the converted plant will be able to provide highly flexible, fast-starting baseload power for balancing the grid,’ comments Marc Thiriet, Energy Business Director, Africa West, Wärtsilä.

Photo: Wärtsilä