Senegal receives first turbine for West Africa’s biggest wind farm

In Senegal, renewable power generation company, Lekela, has announced that the first turbine has been delivered for the construction of a 158,7MW wind farm.

 

The project dubbed Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) will be made up of 46 turbines.

 

According to Lekela’s Managing Director, Massaer Cissé, it won’t be long until PETN will be providing power for over 2 million people in Senegal.

 

Once completed, the wind farm will consist of 46 Vestas wind turbines that can produce 3.45 megawatts each. They will utilize a 117m tubular steel tower and have blade length of 61.7m, giving a large swept area of 12,469m2. This allows the wind turbines to maximize the amount of energy captured from the wind.

 

The project is expected to begin transmitting to the grid later in 2019 and will provide over 450,000 MWh of energy per year. This represents a 15% increase in generation capacity for Senegal

 

The landmark project has set a goal to develop a 20-year socio-economic plan for a $20 million investment. Funds will go towards improving local agricultural opportunities, providing training programs and refurbishing local infrastructure.

 

The plant is the result of a fruitful partnership between Senelec and Lekela, according to Pape Mademba Bitèye, General Manager of Senelec.