Senegal faces key technology choices in its seek for the optimal gas-to-power technique

Senegal’s home gasoline reserves shall be mainly used to supply electrical energy. Authorities count on that domestic gas infrastructure tasks will come online between 2025 and 2026, provided there is not a delay. The monetization of these significant power resources is on the basis of the government’s new gas-to-power ambitions.
In this context, the worldwide know-how group Wärtsilä conducted in-depth studies that analyse the economic influence of the assorted gas-to-power methods obtainable to Senegal. Two very completely different technologies are competing to meet the country’s gas-to-power ambitions: Combined-cycle gasoline turbines (CCGT) and Gas engines (ICE).
These research have revealed very significant system price variations between the two main gas-to-power technologies the country is presently considering. Contrary to prevailing beliefs, fuel engines are in fact a lot better suited than mixed cycle gasoline turbines to harness power from Senegal’s new gasoline sources cost-effectively, the research reveals. Total cost differences between the 2 technologies might attain as much as 480 million USD until 2035 relying on scenarios.
Two competing and really completely different technologies
The state-of-the-art vitality combine fashions developed by Wärtsilä, which builds customised power situations to establish the price optimal way to ship new era capacity for a specific nation, shows that ICE and CCGT applied sciences present vital price differences for the gas-to-power newbuild program working to 2035.
Although these two applied sciences are equally confirmed and reliable, they are very different in terms of the profiles by which they’ll operate. CCGT is a know-how that has been developed for the interconnected European electricity markets, the place it can perform at 90% load factor always. On the opposite hand, versatile ICE know-how can operate efficiently in all operating profiles, and seamlessly adapt itself to another generation technologies that will make up the country’s power mix.
In explicit our research reveals that when working in an electricity community of restricted size such as Senegal’s 1GW nationwide grid, counting on CCGTs to significantly increase the community capacity can be extraordinarily pricey in all attainable eventualities.
Cost variations between the technologies are defined by a variety of elements. First of all, sizzling climates negatively impression the output of fuel generators more than it does that of gas engines.
Secondly, เกจวัดแรงดันเครื่องกรองน้ำ to Senegal’s anticipated access to low cost home fuel, the working costs turn out to be much less impactful than the investment costs. In different phrases, because low gas prices lower operating prices, it is financially sound for the country to rely on ICE power plants, that are less expensive to build.
Technology modularity also performs a key role. Senegal is expected to require an extra 60-80 MW of generation capacity every year to have the ability to meet the rising demand. This is far decrease than the capability of typical CCGTs plants which averages 300-400 MW that have to be built in one go, resulting in pointless expenditure. Engine power plants, on the opposite hand, are modular, which suggests they are often constructed exactly as and when the country needs them, and additional prolonged when required.
The numbers at play are significant. The model exhibits that If Senegal chooses to favour CCGT crops at the expense of ICE-gas, it’ll lead to as a lot as 240 million dollars of additional cost for the system by 2035. The price difference between the applied sciences can even increase to 350 million USD in favor of ICE technology if Senegal additionally chooses to construct new renewable power capability throughout the next decade.
Risk-managing potential fuel infrastructure delays
The growth of gasoline infrastructure is a fancy and lengthy endeavour. Program delays usually are not uncommon, causing gas provide disruptions that may have a huge financial influence on the operation of CCGT crops.
Nigeria is aware of something about that. Only final year, significant gas provide issues have brought on shutdowns at a variety of the country’s largest gasoline turbine energy vegetation. Because Gas generators operate on a steady combustion course of, they require a constant supply of gas and a steady dispatched load to generate consistent power output. If the supply is disrupted, shutdowns occur, putting a fantastic pressure on the general system. ICE-Gas plants on the other hand, are designed to adjust their operational profile over time and increase system flexibility. Because of their versatile working profile, they were in a position to maintain a a lot larger degree of availability
The study took a deep dive to analyse the financial impact of 2 years delay in the gasoline infrastructure program. It demonstrates that if the country decides to speculate into gas engines, the value of gas delay could be 550 million dollars, whereas a system dominated by CCGTs would result in a staggering 770 million dollars in extra price.
Whichever means you take a look at it, new ICE-Gas generation capacity will minimize the total cost of electricity in Senegal in all possible eventualities. If Senegal is to fulfill electricity demand growth in a cost-optimal means, no much less than 300 MW of recent ICE-Gas capability will be required by 2026.
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