Industrial technology manufacturer Wärtsilä has signed a ten-year guaranteed asset performance agreement contract with power producer Malicounda Power, of Senegal, which covers the 130 MW Malicounda Melec power plant, in Mbour, south of Dakar.

The power plant is scheduled to be commissioned in June.

The agreement will provide operational reliability with scheduled maintenance and spare parts, as well as heat rate and power output guarantees after major overhauls. The power plant is expected to help Senegal bring down energy costs and integrate more renewable energy.

The Wärtsilä Flexicycle power plant will operate with seven Wärtsilä 50 engines. It combines the advantages of a flexible simple cycle operation with the outstanding efficiency of a combined cycle plant.

The long-term service agreement targets the further strengthening of Malicounda Power’s position as a power producer for Senegal’s grid. Wärtsilä will start to recognise order intake once the plant has been commissioned and is in operation, the company said.

“We have contractual obligations that must be met, which is why the plant’s operational reliability is extremely important. Wärtsilä’s maintenance support and capabilities as the original equipment manufacturer will be essential to ensure that we meet our commitments.

“Wärtsilä’s proven competency and excellent results achieved globally are convincing. They provide efficient engines and are experts in their operation and maintenance,” said Malicounda Power president Samer Nasr.

Further, remote support from Wärtsilä’s expertise centres is central to meeting the objectives of the agreement with Malicounda Power. The support is based on expert insight, which is a digital predictive maintenance tool using artificial intelligence and advanced diagnostics to monitor equipment and systems in real-time.

When anomalous behaviour is detected, it is flagged to specialists at a Wärtsilä expertise centre, allowing them to provide proactive support with an appropriate resolution before it becomes a major issue.

“This power plant will add much-needed generating capacity to the Senegal grid. It is an example of us creating value for our customers with industry leading availability and uptime, which is critical for the grid. This agreement will deliver high efficiency and productivity, together with cost predictability for the owners,” said Wärtsilä Energy Africa West director Marc Thiriet.

“Our strong presence in the country, along with our remote support capabilities, allow us to provide the essential performance guarantees required,” he added.

The plant will initially operate with heavy fuel oil, but there is an option to convert to gas-fuelled operation as soon as a gas supply becomes available.

Currently, there is an inter-governmental cooperation agreement between Senegal and Mauritania to develop significant gas resources, which will be shared by the two African countries.

Wärtsilä has 543 MW of installed capacity in 20 power plants in Senegal. With the Malicounda Melec power plant included, 458 MW of this capacity is under Wärtsilä long-term service agreements.