Batteries for the first Senegal ancillary services project
Batteries adding reserves into a Senegal solar plant to become the first ancillary services project in Senegal
Image for illustration purposes.
Senegal, Bokhol: Batteries adding reserves into a Senegal solar plant to become the first ancillary services project in Senegal
The Walo storage project will consist of a 10 MW / 20 MWh BESS supplied by a 16 MWp solar PV plant. Located in Bokhol, Senegal, the lithium-ion battery project will be incorporated into the solar PV plant.
Africa REN will construct and operate the facility, which has been designed to solve issues associated with intermittent energy supply, a key challenge to integrating renewable energy into the grid. It has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Senegal’s national electricity company Senelec.
Upon completion, Walo will improve energy security in the country, demonstrating the importance of robust energy storage systems to support the electric transmission network and accelerate an efficient transition to renewable energy.
The first project of its kind will have many positive impacts, among them greater energy management flexibility and improved grid operations reliability. The system will use reserve energy in case of deficits, bring power and grid assets online after failures and supply electricity to the cities during power outages.
West African Power Pool project coordinator Mawufemo Modjinou pointed out that batteries could be key to integrating the electricity grids in West Africa.
“This market – ancillary services -could be a key driver for BESS in West Africa, simply because battery energy storage provides ancillary services in terms of frequency regulation,” Modjinou explained.
Senegal has added more than 345 MW of clean power to its grid over the past six years, accounting for nearly a quarter of its energy mix. This has brought its energy access rate to just over 70 %.
The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, has committed to a €11.5 M loan to develop the first project-financed solar PV plant and battery energy storage system in West Africa.
Commenting on the transaction, Tidiane Doucoure, Director at Ninety One, the Fund Manager of EAIF, said: “Our investment in Walo is a sign of our confidence in Senegal’s rapidly growing energy sector. We are backing the introduction of innovative renewable energy technology as part of our broader commitment to prioritising investment opportunities with a transformational impact and strong potential for replicability.”
Source: ESI Africa
#Africa REN#ancillary services project#BESS#EAIF#SENELEC#Walo storage project