Senegal’s national utility Société nationale d’électricité du Sénégal (Senelec), in partnership with Turkish energy firm Karpowership, have officially launched the country’s first LNG-to-power project, now generating electricity off the coast of Dakar.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the project is supplied by a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and transferred to Karpowership’s KPS 10 powership.
This marks a significant milestone for both Senegal and the continent, representing Africa’s first operational LNG-to-power initiative.
It is a significant achievement for Senegal, a country with relatively short oil and gas history and an emerging LNG industry.
The Turkish company accomplished this feat in cooperation with Senelec, combining innovative floating technology with LNG supply chains.
The project follows Senegal’s first-ever ship-to-ship LNG transfer between the FSRU LNGT Africa and a supply vessel.
“The latest accomplishment was preceded by the completion of another first: ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of LNG between LNGT Africa and a LNG supply vessel off the coast of Senegal,” Karpowership’s Country Manager for Senegal, Ayman Bouderbela, said.
Developed by shipbuilder Seatrium and owned by Karmol – a joint venture between Karpowership and Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines – the LNGT Africa has been stationed in Senegal since 2021.
It is connected via pipeline to the Karadeniz Powership Ayşegül Sultan, which has been supplying electricity to the national grid since 2019.
With a current installed capacity of 335 MW, Karpowership’s floating power assets now account for approximately 25% of Senegal’s electricity supply.
The transition to natural gas is thought to represent a major step forward in the production of cleaner energy, in line with the Senegalese government’s ambitions to reduce electricity production costs and accelerate the national energy transition.
A gas-to-power strategy forms part of its Emerging Senegal Plan, introduced in 2018.
This floating LNG plant will complement Senegal’s conversion of the 335-MW Bel-Air power plant to operate on LNG.
The plant, originally designed to run on heavy fuel oil, is being converted to a dual-fuel system.
It will now feature six Wärtsilä 50DF engines, which can operate on multiple fuels.
This setup allows the plant to primarily run on gas, with liquid fuels available as a backup.
