President of the Republic lays the foundation stone for the construction of a 60 megawatt power plant
HE President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazzouani, on Monday evening in Nouakchott, oversaw the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of a 60-megawatt dual power plant.
This project, financed at the expense of the Mauritanian State at a cost of 81,851,220.93 US dollars, equivalent to about 3 billion and 200 million new ouguiya, consists of the construction of a dual-fuel power plant powered by heavy fuel and gas, including the mechanical and electrical auxiliary systems necessary for the operation of this plant.
he implementation of this project comes within the framework of the government’s energy goals, especially increasing production capacities, universal access to electricity, and improving the quality of electricity services. It will also contribute to ensuring electricity security and covering the growing demand for electricity in the short, medium and long term.
The power plant, which will be constructed within 15 months, consists of four 18.5 megawatt MAN18V51/60DF engines powered by heavy fuel oil (HFO) and natural gas
In a speech on the occasion, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr. Mohamed Ould Khaled, said that the sector has embarked on the construction of a new 60 megawatt power plant, which will increase the output of the twin plant from 180 to 240 megawatts, thus contributing to enhancing the electricity supply to meet the growing demand, noting that the government has made solving the energy issue one of its top priorities despite the challenges in production and distribution and the structural issues of the company, adding that the energy sector seeks to double production by 2028, to fundamentally solve the production issues.
This project is part of a comprehensive strategy that includes other projects underway or about to start, he said, adding that the ministry has been working for months on another 60-megawatt renewable energy plant with a battery storage system, in a public-private partnership, noting that it will be signed within two months and will take 12 months to build the plant.
In the same context, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum confirmed that the capacity of the Boulnouar wind farm will be boosted by an additional 20 MW using batteries to reach 100 MW, explaining that in the medium term, the ministry is working on two major gas-fired power generation projects, the first of which is a 230 MW gas-fired power plant in Nouakchott, which will receive bids next month. A plant in Indiako, which will produce 230 megawatts using gas from the large Tortoise Ahmim field, and will receive its bids at the end of next month, and the other plant in Nouakchott, which will run on gas from the Banda field with a capacity of 300 megawatts, and will provide electricity for Somalilk and mining companies in the north.
As for the capital, Nouakchott, the Minister stressed that they have started implementing a program with a budget of about 1.8 billion new ounces to improve the electricity network, modernize the infrastructure, build new interconnection lines, build 40 new distribution points in different neighborhoods of the city, expand the public lighting network, and a new electric line will be built to connect Nouakchott to the Edeni field.
At the domestic level, the Minister explained that the emergency program for universal access to services necessary for local development will include the expansion of electricity networks and the construction of electric stations and public lighting networks in cities and villages, noting that its financial cover is 4 billion new ouguiyas.
He praised the handling and implementation of the various stages of this project, from the preparation of technical studies and tender files, to the evaluation and negotiation stage, noting that this was done in a record time of less than 100 days without resorting to any foreign expertise.
For his part, the Vice President of the Nouakchott Region, Mr. Edoumou Abdellal, explained on behalf of the President of the Region that this important project will contribute to the development of the country and establish a more prosperous future, stressing that it is a new step in the path of comprehensive development led by the President of the Republic.
He said that the Nouakchott region, in line with the implementation of government policies, has prepared a lighting master plan to organize and develop the public lighting network in the capital Nouakchott. In this regard, 800 public lighting poles have been installed in the peripheral neighborhoods of Dar El Naim and Riadh, noting that the region has distributed some energy-related equipment and supplies to women cooperatives and a number of families in neighborhoods that have not been covered by lighting.
For his part, the Mayor of Tafagh Zeina, Mr. Talib Ould Mahjoub, said that in an effort to improve the living conditions of citizens and provide the necessary conditions for creating sustainable economic development, the government has developed a number of strategic projects in implementation of the program of His Excellency the President of the Republic, “My Ambitions for the Nation”, which will change the economic and social reality to meet the legitimate aspirations of the country.
He added that this project adds to the list of achievements and policies that translate the societal program aimed at improving the conditions of citizens and moving the country towards progress and prosperity.
He pointed out that the municipality has studied a project to build bridges for pedestrians in the axes adjacent to and in front of the markets to facilitate movement and ease traffic congestion, in order to keep pace with the ambitious programs aimed at modernizing the city of Nouakchott and improving the living conditions of citizens, calling on the public authorities to provide the necessary support for its implementation.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, attendees watched a short film about the government’s achievements in the field of energy and the future prospects for its development, in addition to the role of the facility and its important positive repercussions on citizens and increasing the size of the country’s economy in general.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Ajayi, the President of the National Assembly, the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, the Minister in charge of the Office of the President of the Republic, the two Ministers Advisors to the President of the Republic, members of the government, the Governor of Nouakchott West, leaders of military and security services, and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Mauritania.