“The plant will operate on natural gas, as soon as the supply has been established”, said Waldemar Wiesner, head of region MEA for the power plants business at MAN Diesel & Turbo. “Thanks to our dual-fuel technology, it can run on HFO in the meantime. Such fuel flexibility is essential to ensure the immediate production of electrical energy, once the construction has been finalised. To date, only 30% of the people of Benin have access to electricity, which is why the project is of great importance.”
The plant is part of the Benin government’s action plan “Revealing Benin”, which is centred around 45 flagship projects. Maria Gleta is planned to be eventually expanded to 400 MW as part of this programme.
Cotonou is the largest city in Benin, the country’s economic centre, and a transport hub, the port of Cotonou being one of the largest in West Africa.
