Niger to build solar & diesel hybrid power plant

October, 22nd 2020

A Solar and Diesel Genset hybrid power plant is set to be constructed in Agadez, Niger, in the West African region. Mr. Deepak Thakur, the Chief Executive Officer at Sterling and Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd (SWPL) revealed the report and said that they have been awarded the contract for the implementation of the project by Niger Electricity Company (NIGELEC).

This project will be Niger’s first ground-mounted Solar PV, Diesel, and Battery Storage based power plant. Works involves installation of 18.9MWp solar + 11.55MWh/3.0 MVA battery energy storage system (BESS) + 6.54 MVA (2.18 x 3 MVA) diesel generator and construction of a 20 kV substation, and evacuation line up to the Nigelec Substation in Agadez.

SWPL will work, in a consortium partnership with French EPC Company Vergnet and SNS Niger. The consortium will also rehabilitate the electrical network of the city of Agadez, and electrify the neighboring hamlet of Tibinitene as part of the contract.

In addition, project management assistance and institutional support to train engineers and technicians of Niger will be offered in photovoltaic technologies to enable them to operate large-scale solar power plants in the short term and to ensure smooth functioning of the plant even after the two years the consortium is supposed to offer the operation and maintenance (O&M) services for the project.

"Hybrid energy solutions is a huge opportunity as many power generation and distribution companies in Africa are moving into renewables. As one of the leading turnkey EPC solution providers globally, with project management, engineering, and delivery expertise of over 11 GW of diversified energy offerings across geographies, along with our consortium partners, we are committed to delivering this project well on-time while fully complying with the stringent quality and safety standards," said Mr. Deepak Thakur.

Source: gulfnews.com