- A new gas fired power plant has been officially inaugurated in the West African country of Benin.
- The Mariaย Gletaย plant, located near the city of Cotonou, was inaugurated by Beninโs energy minister, Dona Jean-Claudeย Houssou.
The plant will supply the national grid with 127MW of electricity and runs on sevenย gensetsย from Germanyโs MAN Energy Solutions, which built the plant in a consortium with Denmarkโs Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC).
โThe Maria Gleta power plant increases Beninโs capacity for electricity generation by more than 50% โ our country now becomes more independent of energy importsโ, said Houssou.
He added that the plant was part of the governmentโs โRevealing Beninโ action plan, which centres around 45 flagship projects aimed at strengthening macroeconomic development, consolidating democracy and improving the lives of the population.
The Maria Gleta plant is planned to be expanded later to a total capacity of 400 MW as part of this programme. During the inauguration, the facility was also visited by energy secretaries from neighbouring Burkina-Faso, Togo, and Niger.
Recently, the Benin government also signed an agreement with Total for the development ofย a floatingย storage and regasification unit, which will ensure the supply of the Maria Gleta plant with liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Waldemar Wiesner of MAN Energy Solutions said: โWe are very pleased that we are able to support Beninโs ambitious growth plans with this project. Maria Gleta ensures a stable and independent power supply for Benin.
“The plant will mainly operate on natural gas keeping emissions at a low level, while ensuring fuel flexibility through its dual-fuel capability. This combination connects an environmentally friendly power generation with a secure supply at all time.โ
Author: GBA News Desk/ESI-Africa Contributor
This article was originally published on ESI Africa and is republished with permission with minor editorial changes.
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