Entering a new market, Vestas is providing a customized solution for a 159 MW wind farm in Senegal – what will be the country’s first utility-scale wind project and the largest wind project in West Africa, claims Vestas.
The engineering, procurement and construction contract was signed with Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye, a company majority-owned by Lekela, a renewable energy company that has developed 1.3 GW of wind and solar projects across Africa, and partly owned by French developer Sarreole.
The order includes the supply, transport, installation and commissioning of 46 V126-3.45 MW turbines, as well as an Active Output Management 5000 service agreement for the operations and maintenance of the facility over the next 20 years.
The wind farm will diversify the country’s energy mix, says Vestas, noting that Senegal’s energy comes mainly from imported fossil fuels.
“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,” says Nicolas Wolff, Vestas’ vice president for the Western Mediterranean sales region.
“This is a major milestone for Senegal and for Lekela,” adds Chris Ford, chief operating officer of Lekela. “As the first utility-scale wind power project in the country, Taiba N’Diaye forms a critical component of Senegal’s clean energy strategy.”
EKF Denmark’s Export Credit, Vestas’ longtime financing partner, has backed the project with a EUR 140 million export loan, securing the project’s financial stability and maximizing the customer’s return on investment, says Vestas.
The project, ready for construction, is in an advanced stage of development. Turbine delivery will occur between the second and third quarters of 2019, and commissioning will take place between the third quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020.
