Burkina Faso will soon be home to Africa’s largest engine-solar PV hybrid power plant. A 15 MW solar PV power plant will be built next to a 55 MW plant currently running on heavy fuel oil and the energy derived from this plant will be sold to IAMGOLD’s Essakane Mine.
The power plant is commissioned by Finnish technology group Wärtsilä and has the ability to control and optimise the use of engines and solar power. It will also enable the off-grid gold mine to decrease its fuel consumption by roughly 6 million litres per year and reduce its annual CO² emissions by 18 500 tons.
According to an Africa Business Communities report, Wärtsilä’s scope will cover the engineering, procurement and construction for the solar PV power plant, including the control system for the hybrid plant.
