The first Vestas turbine components have arrived in the port of Autonome de Dakar in Senegal for Lekela’s over 158MW Taiba N’Diaye project, the country’s first utility-scale wind farm.
Taiba N’Diaye will feature 46 V126-3.45MW machines, with 117-metre steel towers and blade lengths of 61.7 metres.
Lekela said the parts are now being transported by road to the project site, where construction kicked off in December last year.
The wind farm is expected to start delivering electricity to the grid later this year and will supply 450,000 megawatt-hours a year when fully operational.
Lekela general manager for Senegal Massaer Cisse said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Lekela, and for (Taiba N’Diaye).
“From a project that was just an idea a few years ago, we now see it quickly becoming a reality. It won’t be long until (Taiba N’Diaye) will be providing power for over 2 million people in Senegal.
“Already, hundreds of employment opportunities are being created in construction, and further benefits will be provided through the creation of infrastructure and services for workers as part of a 20-year social investment programme that will greatly benefit the local area.”