Africa is ready to provide enough energy to achieve the most ambitious of goals, and it can do it while maintaining all environmental targets.
We believe careful planning of power systems towards more sustainable and diversified energy supply portfolios can save billions and rapidly reduce CO2 emissions. We create value through our extensive power system knowledge and experience from integrating different generating assets.
On this page, you may find our best materials and proceedings in energising and decarbonising the continent of Africa.
of engine power plant capacity installed
African countries with active customers
Wärtsilä engines installed across the continent
customers across the continent
With more than 650 employees and service hubs located in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal, Wärtsilä is proud to have contributed to many industry firsts. These include Africa’s largest gas engine power plant on the Kribi coast of Cameroon with 216MW capacity, as well as Africa’s highest installation, the 175 MW power plant in Sasolburg, South Africa, sitting at 1,700 meters above sea level.
Another first, the KivuWatt power plant in Rwanda, is the first ever power plant to use the naturally occurring methane from lake Kivu to generate electricity and reduce the environmental risks associated with such high concentrations of gas. Today’s power output is 25 MW but future planned expansions to this project will increase capacity by an additional 75 MW.
The technology group Wärtsilä has signed a 10-year Guaranteed Asset Performance agreement with Malicounda Power SAS of Senegal. The contract covers the 130 MW Malicounda Melec power plant located in Mbour, south of Senegal’s capital Dakar, scheduled to be commissioned in June 2022. The long-term service agreement targets the further strengthening of Malicounda Power’s position as a power producer for Senegal’s grid. The signing took place in February 2022, and Wärtsilä will start to recognise order intake once the plant has been commissioned and is in operation.
The Wärtsilä Flexicycle power plant will operate with seven Wärtsilä 50 engines. It combines the advantages of a flexible simple cycle operation with the outstanding efficiency of a combined cycle plant. The agreement will provide operational reliability with scheduled maintenance and spare parts, as well as heat rate and power output guarantees after major overhauls.
“We have contractual obligations that must be met, which is why the plant’s operational reliability is extremely important. Wärtsilä’s maintenance support and capabilities as the Original Equipment Manufacturer will be essential to ensure that we meet our commitments. Wärtsilä’s proven competency and excellent results achieved globally are convincing. They provide efficient engines and are experts in their operation & maintenance,” said Samer Nasr, President, Malicounda Power SAS.
“This power plant will add much needed generating capacity to the Senegal grid. It is an example of us creating value for our customers with industry leading availability and uptime, which is critical for the grid. This agreement will deliver high efficiency and productivity, together with cost predictability for the owners. Our strong presence in the country, along with our remote support capabilities, allow us to provide the essential performance guarantees required,” added Marc Thiriet, Director, Africa West, Wärtsilä Energy.
Remote support from Wärtsilä’s Expertise Centres is central to meeting the objectives of the agreement with Malicounda Power SAS. The support is based on Expert Insight, a unique and innovative digital predictive maintenance tool utilising artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced diagnostics to monitor equipment and systems in real-time. Should anomalous behaviour be detected, it is flagged to specialists at a Wärtsilä Expertise Centre, allowing them to provide proactive support with an appropriate resolution before it becomes a major issue.
Commissioning of the power plant is scheduled for June 2022. The plant will initially operate with heavy fuel oil (HFO) but there is an option to convert to gas fuelled operation as soon as a gas supply becomes available. Currently, there is an inter-governmental cooperation agreement between Senegal and Mauritania to develop significant gas resources, which will be shared by the two African countries. The power plant is expected to help Senegal bring down energy costs and integrate more renewable energy.
Wärtsilä is Senegal’s leading provider of power generating equipment, and already has 543 MW of installed capacity in altogether 20 power plants in the country. With the Malicounda Melec power plant included, 458 MW of this capacity is under Wärtsilä long-term service agreements.
Earlier published press release
Learn more about Wärtsilä Lifecycle solutions
Article Optimising power plant operations through remote support
Media contact for more information on this release:
Mirja-Maija Santala
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wärtsilä Energy
Mob: +358 400 793 827
mirja-maija.santala@wartsila.com
Image 1: Remote support from Wärtsilä’s Expertise Centres is central to meeting the objectives of the 10-year Guaranteed Asset Performance agreement with Malicounda Power SAS. © Wärtsilä Corporation
Image 2: Wärtsilä 10-year Guaranteed Asset Performance agreement with Malicounda Power SAS covers the 130 MW Malicounda Melec power plant located in Mbour, Senegal. Courtesy of Malicounda Power SAS
All Wärtsilä releases are available at https://www.wartsila.com/media/news-releases and at http://news.cision.com/wartsila-corporation where also the images can be downloaded.
Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We help our customers in decarbonisation by developing market-leading technologies. These cover future-fuel enabled balancing power plants, hybrid solutions, energy storage and optimisation technology, including the GEMS energy management platform. Wärtsilä Energy’s lifecycle services are designed to increase efficiency, promote reliability and guarantee operational performance. Our track record comprises 76 GW of power plant capacity and 110 energy storage systems delivered to 180 countries around the world.
https://www.wartsila.com/energy
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. We emphasise innovation in sustainable technology and services to help our customers continuously improve their environmental and economic performance. Our dedicated and passionate team of 17,000 professionals in more than 200 locations in 68 countries shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. In 2021, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
www.wartsila.com
South Africa
4 Powerful Street,
Paarden Eiland
7405,
Cape Town
Tel. +27 21 5111 230
Nigeria
Wärtsilä Marine and Power Services Nigeria
23 Oba Akinjobi Street
Ikeja GRA, Lagos
Nigeria
Tel. +234 907 808 0936 - Marine enquiry
+234 8057217049 - New Builds enquiry
+234 708 624 3992 - After Sales enquiry
E-mail: Sales/Services equiries WNG@Wartsila.com
Kenya
ABC Towers - 7A, ABC Place
Waiyaki Way
Nairobi
Tel. +254 20 7602 400 (Pilot)
E-mail: info.wea@wartsila.com
Senegal
Wärtsilä West Africa
Immeuble Le Thiargane 7ème étage, Mermoz Place OMVS
B.P. 21861 Dakar-Ponty, Dakar - Senegal
Tel + 221 33 865 41 00
Fax + 221 33 864 42 72
E-mail: West.africa@wartsila.com
Madagascar
Fort Dauphin (Taolagnaro)
QMM Madena, Fort Dauphin, 614
Madagascar
Tel. +261 20 224 3267
Fax: +261 20 224 3253
Cameroon
Wärtsilä Central Africa
Wärtsilä Base, Essengue
Douala, Cameroon
Tel +237 33 50 54 00
Fax +237 33 50 54 99
wcm@wartsila.com for general information
wcmsales@wartsila.com for commercial issues