The OMVG project is moving forward with the construction of Brikama and Jabang OMVG substations which will be completed by end of the year. The OMVG is also known as the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation project.
This came to light recently, when The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), a utility company based out of Gambia, toured the GERM-funded project in a bid to carry out assessments and inspections of the ongoing works.
According to the Transmission and Distribution Department’s Quality and Standards Manager, Benedict Jarjue, they were working on the Brikama substation to connect the OMVG power supply from Brikama to Jabang, where another substation is being built, via a transmission line.
One of the major innovations was a National Control Center, which he claimed will reduce NAWEC’s burden by eliminating the need for staff to travel up and down to control their networks. He also added that they were soon going to carry out final connections.
Expectations for the Brikama and Jabang OMVG Substations
The completion of the Brikama and Jabang OMVG substations projects, according to NAWEC Public Relations Officer Pierre Sylva, would alleviate the electrical crisis in the Greater Banjul Area, commending the countries involved in the project for their collaboration.
The Jabang OMVG substation project contractor, TBEA Co., Ltd., which is a Chinese manufacturer of power transformers and other electrical equipment, and a developer of transmission projects, previously known as Tebian Electric Apparatus is the project, guaranteed to complete project by the end of the year.
Representative of the contractual consultant company, Mercados-Aries International, whose major responsibility is to ensure that the work is of high quality and to hold the hired construction company accountable, is ensuring that standards and quality are achieved.
Reported earlier
Feb 2017
20-MW Saltinho hydropower project in West Africa to be constructed
Gambia River Basin Organization (OMVG) is preparing and structuring the proposed construction of the 20-MW Saltinho run-of-river hydropower plant in West Africa- Guinea-Bissau. The hydropower plant will be constructed on the Corubal River.
OMVG is an organization of regional member states seeking to promote sharing energy and improving the quality of the power supply in Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia.
The Saltinho project is part of a wider regional grid extension project, which will interlink the electrical grids of OMVG member states. The extension project is being financed by several organizations including The African Development Bank (AfDB) through its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, the United Nations fund for Industrial Development, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, and the Austrian Development Bank, according to OMVG.
According to a 2015 AfDB report, the OMVG Regional Energy Project, also includes a proposed 128-MW hydropower facility that will annually produce 402 GWh and a 1,677-kilometer-long interconnection network comprising 15 transformer stations and two dispatching centers. The regional project is estimated to cost about US$204m
However, The primary objective of this project is to build cooperation and regional integration in the energy sector by constructing renewable and low-cost energy for the four countries. The organization will further inject more efforts to improve the well-being of people and promote economic development in the region.
This project will be implemented in the OMVG countries, specifically, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, and Guinea Bissau. The project includes Component 1: Interconnection T-LineComponent 2: Kaleta DamComponent 3: Technical Assistance 4: Sambangalou DamComponent. The African Development Bank plans to provide funding of US$ 180m for this project.
Aug 2018
Guinea’s Samba Ngallo dam hydroelectric supply project to reach the Gambia
The government of Gambia through the Officials from The Gambia River Basin Development Project (OMVG) has announced the interconnection transmission and distribution line for the hydroelectric power supply of the Samba Ngallo Dam project in Guinea will reach the Gambia in 2019.
Fafa Sanyang, Minister of Energy in the Gambia confirmed the news and applauded that the OMVG interconnection project will set the country’s energy road map on a positive path in opening the region’s energy market.
“The project is a part of The Gambia’s Energy Roadmap and one of the cheapest and clean sources of energy. It also opens up the West African energy market. Other dams are being built and ready, and we are targeting to supply entire West Africa,” said Fafa Sanyang.
Also Read: Uganda’s Karuma Hydropower project nears completion of its first turbine
OMVG Interconnection project
The OMVG Interconnection project consists of phase one construction of 1,677Km of 225-volt transmission network capable of handling 88MW of energy. It will be the extension of the West African Power Pool transmission network.
Phase two of the project will entail the construction of 15 substations of 225/30kW each. Two of the substations will be built in the Gambia. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete the transmission works on the grid. Other member countries in the project include Senegal, Guinea Bissau, and Guinea Conakry.
“The OMVG transmission lines construction has today reached 16 contractors, and materials for the interconnection lines are already on the ground in all four countries. We are looking at the renewable energy from the dams to be distributed to the countries,” said Dr. Antonio Serifo Embalo, chairman, the council of ministers, OMVG.
“Already we have mobilized the financing, which is US $722 m. The four countries have signed the contracts. We are also working on the transmission and distribution lines all the way from The Gambia to Senegal,” he added.
Dec 2019
360mw solar power plant projects in Tunisia awarded
Three solar power plant projects in Tunisia totaling approximately 360mw have been awarded to Scatec Solar having won an international tender launched by the Tunisian Ministry of Industry and SMEs earlier this year.
Scatec Solar
“We are excited to have secured our first projects in Tunisia and the opportunity it offers to support the Government’s target to reach 30% electricity production from renewables by 2030. We bring with us solid experience from successful development, execution, and operation of projects in Africa and the Middle East over the last several years ”, Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar said.
360mw solar power plants
The solar power plant projects in Tunisia are understood to be of a capacity of 60 MW, 60 MW and 240 MW will have their locations in Tozeur, Sidi Bouzid and Tataouine respectively. The solar power plants will be under a 20 year PPA with Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz (STEG).
The solar plants are expected to generate about 830 GWh per year, enough electricity to power more than 300,000 Tunisian households annually and save 480,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. Scatec Solar will play a leading role as an investor in the projects. The company will also be the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) provider and also provide the Operation & Maintenance as well as Asset Management services to the power plants.
Currently, Tunisia meets over 90% of its electricity demand from oil and gas which places a huge burden on its economy. The availability of renewable solar energy from abundant sunlight and the falling price of photovoltaic systems has meant that the government can look towards developing this resource.
This project is one of several initiatives at using private-public partnerships to develop solar energy capacity in the country which currently stand at about 35mw. The Tunisian governments’ strategy is to rump up renewable energy generation to 4.7Gw by 2030.
Jul 2021
Senegal granted US 35.26M for the construction of Tanaff to Ziguinchor electricity transmission line
The Export-Import (Exim) Bank of India has granted the republic of Senegal a buyer credit (financing granted by a bank to a foreign buyer, allowing it to pay a supplier of goods and services in cash) of US$ 35.26M for the construction of a 225 kV Tanaff to Ziguinchor electricity transmission.
The related loan agreement was signed in Dakar the capital city of the West African country, between Selva Kumar, the resident representative of Exim Bank India in Abidjan, and Amadou Hott, the Senegalese Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation.
About the project
The project in question entails the construction of an approximately 92 kilometers overhead electricity transmission line from Tanaff to Ziguinchor along with bay extensions at Tanaff and Ziguinchor.
It will be implemented by Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd, a subsidiary of Kalpataru Group and one of the world’s largest players in the power transmission and infrastructure EPC sector.
The project aims to secure the electricity supply to the southern part of Senegal, particularly Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, and Tanaff, upon completion, and reduce operating costs and the price per kilowatt-hour.
It will also initiate the interconnection of 225 kV power transmission line with the Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) Energy Project that is made up of the hydroelectric facilities of Sambangalou ( 128 MW) – in Senegal – and Kaléta (240 MW) – in Guinea -, as well as a 225 kV interconnection line and associated substations.
The OMVG Energy Project
The OMVG Energy Project is developed by the Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG), which is a sub-regional organization responsible for implementing the integrated development programs of Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal, with a view to the harmonious exploitation of the joint resources of Rivers Gambia, Kayanga-Géba and Koliba-Corubal.
