Lekela, the renewable power generation company that delivers utility-scale projects across Africa, erected the first wind turbine for its Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye (PETN) project in Senegal.
PETN will be Senegal’s first ever, and West Africa’s largest, wind farm. The construction of the first turbine marks another milestone in bringing Senegal one step closer to producing clean, reliable and affordable energy to the grid.
The fully constructed Vestas V126 turbine is the first of the 46 to be erected. Each turbine will produce 3.45 megawatts. The wind turbines received type certification in January 2017 and are some of the latest versions of onshore wind turbines currently available.
They utilise a 117m tubular steel tower and a blade length of 61.7m, giving a large swept area of 12,469m², allowing the wind turbines to maximise the amount of energy captured from wind.
Related: Construction of Taiba N’Diaye wind power project in Senegal begins
Once fully constructed, PETN will produce 158MW, representing a 15% uplift to Senegal’s generation capacity and providing energy for 2 million people. The wind farm is expected to begin transmitting electricity to the grid later this year.
Massaer Cisse, General Manager for Senegal at Lekela said, “Seeing the first turbine go up has been a moment of great pride for all of us who have worked hard in making Parc Eolien Taiba N’Diaye a reality. It is a significant milestone for the project. We are excited to build the rest of the turbines, which uses the latest technology to harness the best in a renewable energy source.
“What’s more, the construction of PETN has generated hundreds of employment opportunities. We have also worked closely with local stakeholders to create a 20-year social investment programme that will benefit the local area.
This includes initiatives that will create infrastructure and services for workers, and also encourage local enterprise.
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