African renewable energy developer Lekela has connected its 159 MW Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) wind farm to the grid.
The project milestone means that the wind farm can provide power to consumers in Senegal for the first time, just ten months after construction started.
The project is West Africa’s first utility-scale wind farm and will be fully completed in 2020, Lekela said.
PETN will consist of 46 Vestas wind turbines capable of producing 158.7 MW and adding 15 per cent to Senegal’s installed capacity. The project forms part of Plan Senegal Emergent, the government’s economic development accelerator programme.
Massaer Cisse, general manager for Senegal at Lekela said: “The first megawatts of energy are today entering Senegal’s grid, giving the country its first taste of clean, renewable wind power. This is an exciting time and it brings us a step closer to our ultimate goal of providing power for millions of Senegalese.”
Lekela also recently secured financial close on its 250 MW West Bakr Wind project in Egypt, expected to be fully operational by 2021.
