Emirati firm Aggreko will provide Benin 100 MW of electricity, over a year. “We signed with Aggreko because Benin can count on its ability to mobilize within the contractual deadlines and on its experience as an operator,” said Laurent Tossou, Managing director of SBEE, the local power utility. The firm which has already worked with SBEE plans to deliver the energy at the end of 2016.

The energy generated by Aggreko uses the ADDGAS technology which allows it to provide additional energy to its customers at low cost. The technology substitutes a significant portion of diesel fuel with natural gas – 35 to 50% depending on available quantity; this is 23% cheaper than a traditional thermal plant. To maximize this economy, Aggreko often installs its system near a gas reserve to cut associated cost of transport.

“Aggreko’s proposition considers Benin’s availability of gas, while also allowing production units to operate with diesel only. The additional production capacities will enable the Beninese government to fulfill a daily structural deficit ranging between 40 and 60 MW per day for more than a year,” the official said.

Benin has no proven gas reserve and its closest supplier, Nigeria, currently experiences major challenges to get gas.

Gwladys Johnson