Siemens Energy has completed the delivery of SGT-800 gas turbine to the Kékéli Efficient Power S.A. site, as part of its support to improved access to reliable and affordable energy in Togo by the development of the 65-megawatt combined cycle power plant in the country.
The delivery followed a competitive bidding process that led to a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Republic of Togo, Siemens Energy, Pan-African industrial group Eranove, and EPC partner TSK Group, to successfully develop the country’s first gas-fired combined cycle power plant, in October 2018.
The turbine was built in Finspång, Sweden, and shipped to Togo by sea, to form the core of the combined cycle power plant. The plant is located in the capital, Lomé, and is expected to cover about 40% of the country’s expected demand upon completion, and create job opportunities for Togolese. This Independent Power Producer (IPP) project is the first time an IPP has been entirely financed by African financial institutions.
The project aligns with the goals of the new National Development Plan (NDP), of meeting Togo’s growing electricity needs at an affordable cost. It will reduce the country’s reliance on less efficient heavy fuel oil (HFO) in the local energy mix and reduce the emissions of CO2. Natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants produce over 20% less CO2 than the HFO power plants. When operating on natural gas, reciprocating engines emit high quantities of unburnt hydrocarbons which are very powerful greenhouse gases. These emissions are said to be negligible for gas turbines.
Through the development of training in management, operations and maintenance of the power plant that will be fully staffed by citizens, Eranove and Siemens Energy are committed to the long-term maintenance of the plant to provide reliable energy to Togolese.
The plant will use Togo’s gas infrastructure to show that gas fired power plants can be a reliable, economical, efficient and decarbonizing alternative to HFO. The Kékéli Efficient Power Plant will be the most efficient power plant of its range and the smallest combined cycle power plant with Siemens Energy gas turbines in sub-Sahara Africa. It will also provide energy security for Togo as the SGT-800 can be fuelled by natural gas supplied from the West African Pipeline, or by liquefied propane gas.
During the ground-breaking ceremony that took place last year, the Minister of Energy in Togo, Ably-Bidamon said, “The construction of this thermal power plant will comply with all environmental norms fighting against greenhouse effects and harmful effects of climate change.” He also had stressed how this power plant will contribute to Togo’s ambition to achieve 100% electrification by 2030, up from 45% back in 2018. With assistance from Siemens Energy, this ambition is becoming reality.
“We are proud to be following through on our commitment to the people of Togo to provide affordable and reliable power sources while also moving toward an environmentally sustainable and financially accessible baseload energy production,” said Marcus Nelle, Senior Vice President of Sales for Africa at Siemens Energy. “Due to its flexibility, the unit will contribute to the stabilization of the power grid in Togo and enable easier integration of renewables into the grid.”
