- Senegal develops the largest desalination project of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa
- The Cap des Biches-based CCGT plant will have an initial design capacity of 160 MW
The National Electricity Company of Senegal (SENELEC) and Water Company of Senegal (SONES) signed memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor, and operator of power generation, water desalination and green hydrogen plants worldwide. The MOUs were signed in the presence of The President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, The Minister of Investment, H.E. Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih, and Mr Fahd bin Ali Al-Dosary, the Saudi Ambassador to Senegal.
ACWA Power will work with SENELEC to build a 160MW combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant in line with Senegal’s Gas for the power plan in Cap des Biches. The power project will reduce the cost of electricity, reduce greenhouse emissions by about 23% by 2030 and increase the country’s energy independence. ACWA Power will also oversee the development of the largest desalination plant in sub–Saharan Africa. The 300,000 m3/d seawater reverse osmosis plant in Grande Côte about 40 km North-East of Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
The managing Director of SONES, Charles Fall, said: “The agreement we have just signed is above all an essential step taken in response to the demand for drinking water within the framework of the Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE).” He added that the projects were an opportunity for the existence of the local private sector following the creation of a Senegalese company operating under Senegalese law. Furthermore, He said that the partnership framework was an indicator of Senegal’s partnership with Saudi Arabia.