The Grande Côte Mineral Sands Project aims to extract valuable zircon and titanium dioxide from sandy deposits along the Senegalese coast from 2014 for at least the next 20 years. The project uses dredge-mining techniques in a dammed reservoir that will slowly shift through the sand dunes. A floating electrically powered dredge vessel will suck up sand and centrifugally separate heavier minerals for further treatment in a processing facility at the mining camp.
The mining camp also has workers’ accommodation, medical facilities and a wastewater treatment plant, all in a location far away from any larger settlements and unconnected to the national grid. A reliable, clean, on-site source of energy, operable in island mode, is essential.
| Who | Grande Cote mineral sands project |
| What | Multi-fuel engines |
| Where | Senegal |
| How | EPC |
Flexible power generation
This is my third project with Wärtsilä, and once again I’ve appreciated Wärtsilä’s focus and support for their customers as the number one goal during both construction and operations.
High variability in energy demand between full operation and standby mode, when only base camp and mineral separation plant is running
Hot, dry, dusty conditions
Natural gas may later become available as a favoured fuel
Flexible configuration with four large engines and one smaller engine
Specially selected air intake filter and radiator cooling solutions
Multi-fuel Wärtsilä 34DF engines can easily switch from oil to gas
High rates of efficiency during periods of both high and low
energy demand
Efective prevention of dust problems, and low cooling water requirement
Option to switch to cleaner and cheaper gas if pipeline built
| Customer | Grande Côte Operations (Mining industry) |
| Type | Wärtsilä 34DF multi-fuel power plant |
| Operating mode | Flexible baseload |
| Gensets | 4 x Wärtsilä 20V34DF + 1 x Wärtsilä 9L34DF |
| Total output | 36 MW |
| Fuel | LFO/HFO with the option to use natural gas when available |
| Scope | EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) |
| Delivered | 2013 |
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