In the aftermath of its ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement, Senegal is attempting to make a giant leap from fossil fuel to embrace clean energy by more than 90 percent.
By Ibrahima Dione
The West African nation has chosen to translate into action the commitments made in December 2015, at the 21st Climate Conference of the United Nations (Cop 21) held in Paris.
Under the leadership of President Macky Sall, Senegal started its energy transition by operating the following eight solar power stations: Ten Merina (30 megawatts), Senergy in Santhiou-Mekhe (30 megawatts), Senergy II at Bokhol (20 megawatts), Malicounda (22 megawatts), Kahone (20 megawatts), Sakal (20 megawatts), Meouane (20 megawatts) and Diass (15 megawatts).
With the commissioning of the Taiba Ndiaye wind power plant (75 kilometers northwest of Dakar), Senegal is extending its environment-friendly energy-providing infrastructure.
“Almost 22 percent of the energy we use is renewable. At the end of the second phase of the wind farm, we will be at 30 percent. Besides, from 2022, Senegal will switch to the “gas to power” strategy (electricity produced from gas) . This will make our country one of the few to use more than 90 percent clean energy,” PresidentSall said.
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This is an ambitious energy mix program that the head of state launched on Monday, February 24, during the inauguration of the wind farm covering an area of 41 hectares, the largest in West Africa.
The Taiba Ndiaye wind power plant has a production capacity of 158.7 megawatts.
It is made up of 46 Vestas V126 turbines, each capable of producing 3.45 megawatts.
They are 180-meter high, the equivalent of a storey building 60 floors long.
These turbines, which received technical certification in January 2017, are among the latest versions of wind turbines currently on the market.
They are supported by a steel tubular tower of 117 meters with a blade length of 62 meters, thus allowing a very large sweeping area of 12,469 square meters.
“The carbon impact of the Taiba Ndiaye wind farm is nil. Better still, this gigantic infrastructure will prevent the release into the atmosphere of 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year,” President Sall explained.
With its energy revolution, Senegal is, more than ever, playing its part to keep global warming below 2° C by the end of the century.
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The Taiba Ndiaye wind power plant, which represents 15 percent of the country’s electricity production, will supply more than two million people.
It has been connected to the national electricity grid since December 2019.
The overall amount of the project is 200 billion CFA francs, the equivalent of 305 million euros.
The construction work was launched in 2008.
Lekela is the project manager, its developer is Sarreole and Senegal’s Electricity Company (Senelec, public) is the manager of the national grid.
ID/Dng/te/fss/as/APA