wind

The wind farm will expand the country’s generation capacity by 15 percent, support the development of affordable renewable energy and diversify Senegal’s energy mix as well as provide positive social and economic impact for the nearby communities. The project is in advanced stage of development, ready for construction. Turbine delivery, as well as commissioning are planned to be accomplished in three phases: deliveries between the second and the third quarters of 2019, whilst commissioning between the third quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was signed with Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye, a company majority-owned by Lekela, an experienced renewable energy company that has developed 1.3 GW of wind and solar projects across Africa, and partly-owned by French developer Sarreole that has been part of the project from its beginning.

The order includes the supply, transport, installation and commissioning of 46 V126-3.45 MW turbines, as well as an Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement for the operation and maintenance of the wind park over the next 20 years.

Senegal’s energy mix currently depends mainly on costly imported fossil fuels. However, Senegal will be able to utilise renewable energy to generate clean, reliable and competitively-priced energy to meet the demand of a rapidly expanding local grid.

“This is a very special order for us, since together with Lekela, we are delivering a project that will represent 20 percent of the country’s energy mix and have a positive impact on Senegalese communities, providing opportunities for local employment while responding to the country’s energy challenges” said Nicolas Wolff, Vestas’ VP Sales Region Western Mediterranean. “Working in close collaboration with all the partners has been a success factor for this great achievement. Vestas has installed wind turbines in around 80 markets, including more than 1 GW in Africa, providing clean energy and fostering local jobs and training. With this project, we will contribute to Senegal in the same way through sharing our extensive knowledge and deep experience of supporting wind energy projects in emerging markets”.

Chris Ford, Chief Operating Officer at Lekela, added that, as the first utility-scale wind power project in the country, Taiba N’Diaye forms a critical component of Senegal’s clean energy strategy that will create an impact that lasts for generations.

Vestas’ long-time financing partner EKF Denmark’s Export Credit has backed the project with a 140-million-euro export loan, securing the project’s financial stability and maximising the customer’s return on investment.

Image: Courtesy of Vestas

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