The Cap des Biches project is a 300MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant under construction in the Dakar region of Senegal. It is the first and largest combined cycle power project in the country.
West African Energy, a Senegalese energy and petroleum products company, and Société Nationale d’Electricité du Sénégal (Senelec), Senegal’s national electricity company, are developing the project with an estimated investment of £284.2m ($348.9m).
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Construction works on the project were started in March 2021 and the power plant is expected to be placed into operations in phases from 2022. The entire power generation facility is scheduled for completion in 2023.
At full capacity, the Cap des Biches combined cycle power plant is estimated to generate approximately 2.39 tera-watt hours (TWh) of electricity per year, which is sufficient to supply electricity to approximately 500,000 Senegalese households.
Also, the generation capacity of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant is expected to account for nearly 25% of the electricity consumed by Senegal.
Location and site details
The Cap des Biches combined cycle power project is located in the Rufisque commune, approximately 20km from the capital city of Dakar in the Dakar region, Senegal.
Covering an area of about 9.923ha, the project site is adjacent to the production facilities and existing infrastructure in the Cap des Biches area consisting of power stations and a substation.
Cap des Biches power project details
The Cap des Biches gas-fired combined cycle power plant will be equipped with two 9E.03 gas turbines, one STF-A200 steam turbine, and three A39 generators, all supplied by General Electric (GE).
The project will also feature two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) and associated balance of plant (BOP) equipment.
The other components comprise a steam condensation system, stacks, three 11.5/90kV step-up transformers with a capacity of 147MVA each, accessories for connection to 90kV busbars, and a gas insulated substation (GIS).
Infrastructure facilities
The infrastructure facilities at the Cap des Biches combined cycle power plant will consist of two delivery stations for natural gas, 3,000m3 capacity heavy fuel oil (HFO) storage tanks, a oil storage tank, a water treatment station, a demineralised water storage tank and a liquid effluent treatment unit.
Gas supply and consumption
The Cap des Biches combined cycle power plant will be supplied fuel by African refining company Société Africaine de Raffinage (SAR) pipelines and through tankers from the Dakar region.
It is estimated to consume approximately 1,138,800 cubic metres (m3) of natural gas per year.
Water supply
The water required for stream production at the Cap des Biches combined cycle power plant will be sourced from the distribution network of SEN’EAU, a drinking water supplier in Senegal.
Power evacuation
The electricity generated from the Cap des Biches gas-fired combined cycle power plant will be evacuated through a 90kV underground power transmission line.
Projec financing
The Cap des Biches combined cycle power project secured financing from the African Finance Corporation (AFC), Coris Bank International and other financial institutions, including Afrixim Bank for its construction.
Contractors involved
Turkish company Çalık Enerji was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by West African Energy for the construction and development of the Cap des Biches combined cycle power project in October 2020.
GE was contracted to manufacture and supply of turbines and generators along with the auxiliary equipment in January 2021.
Bureau Veritas was engaged by West African Energy to undertake technical control work to assess the structural integrity and safety of the plant.
Engineering design, and advisory services Afry was awarded the owner’s engineer contract for the power project.
Fasken was chosen to deliver advisory services to the project sponsors in the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Cap des Biches project.
