ACWA Power has announced the signing of MoUs with the National Water Company of Senegal (SONES) and the National Electric Company of Senegal (SENELEC).
The first MoU will cover the development of a 300,000cu/m per day seawater reverse osmosis plant (SWRO) in Grande Côte, located approximately 40km north-east of the capital Dakar. In a statement, ACWA Power said that it will work in close collaboration with SONES to oversee the development of the SWRO development.
The project will be the first desalination facility in the country and is being facilitated on a public-private partnership basis. It will also be the largest desalination project of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In June 2022, Acwa Power inked a PPA with SPPC for a $107mn solar PV plant.
The second MoU announced will see ACWA Power working closely with SENELEC to develop a Combined Cycle Gas-Turbine (CCGT) plant in Cap des Biches, with an initial design capacity of 160MW. In line with Senegal’s Gas-to-Power strategy, which aims to increase the country’s energy independence, reduce the cost of electricity, and provide universal access to electricity, the development of the new facility will furthermore assist the country’s efforts to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 23% by 2030.
“The signing of these agreements between the Saudi Group ACWA Power and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, on behalf of Senegal is in anticipation of rapid demographic growth and consumer demand in the Dakar-Mbour-Thies triangle, which represents over five million consumers,” said Charles Fall, Managing Director of SONES.
“The agreement we have just signed is above all an essential step taken in response to the demand for drinking water within the framework of the Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE). Furthermore, this first PPP experience will have no impact on water prices. Last but not least, this partnership framework is a testimony of the strong cooperation ties between Saudi Arabia and Senegal and represents an opportunity for the local private sector through the creation of a Senegalese company operating under Senegalese law,” he added.
Later in June 2022, ACWA Power signed a $1.15bn deal to develop one of the largest windfarms in the world.
As one of the largest private operators of water desalination plants in the world, ACWA Power has a portfolio that collectively produces 6.4m m3 of desalinated water per day. This includes 10 mega-scale SWRO projects, the company stated.
“We are deeply honoured to contribute towards the strengthening ties of Saudi Arabia, our home country, and Senegal via the signing of two landmark MOUs today and we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Senegalese leadership for their trust and confidence in ACWA Power’s abilities to realise these strategic projects for the country,” said Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of ACWA Power.
“In line with our mandate to provide reliable delivery of power and desalinated water, ACWA Power is leveraging its global expertise to support the nation’s sustainable and socio-economic development for years to come,” he continued.
In August 2022, Doosan Enerbility won an EPC contract for the $640mn Shuaibah 3 IWP in Saudi Arabia.
ACWA Power’s global power generation portfolio of 42.7GW comprises a mix of conventional power, natural gas, and renewable energy solutions.
“ACWA Power will bring its long-standing experience as a leading developer and operator of desalinated water and power generation facilities to create utility infrastructure essential to Senegal’s future capacity requirements. We are also excited to lead the development of SONES’ 300,000 m3/d SWRO plant, which will be the first desalination project in the country to be conducted on a Public-Private Partnership basis and the largest desalination project of its kind ever created in Sub-Saharan Africa,” concluded Clive Turton, Chief Investment Officer of ACWA Power.