• Gabon has commissioned the first 8.5 MW phase of the Mayumba gas power plant

• The project is developed under a public-private partnership with Perenco

• Installed capacity is set to rise to 50 MW in successive phases

The Gabonese state has officially taken delivery of the first phase of the Mayumba gas-fired thermal power plant. This marks the entry into service of a new electricity generation facility in the south of the country. The development was reported by several local media outlets following the inauguration ceremony held on January 23.

Located in Nyanga province, the facility has an installed capacity of 8.5 megawatts in this initial operational phase. The commissioning is expected to ease, in the short term, long-standing generation constraints that have affected electricity supply in the region.

The project is being developed under a public-private partnership involving the Gabonese state, the state-owned Gabon Power Company, a subsidiary of the Gabon Strategic Investment Fund, and oil producer Perenco Gabon. Perenco is responsible for supplying the natural gas used to fuel the plant.

Gas is transported from offshore fields operated by Perenco to the Mayumba site. At the same time, work is continuing on grid connection infrastructure, including the power line linking Mayumba to Tchibanga, which will allow electricity produced at the plant to be fed into the interconnected network.

Under the project’s development plan, the site is set to undergo successive expansions. Installed capacity is expected to rise to around 20 MW in an intermediate phase, before reaching up to 50 MW in the long term, in line with the project roadmap.

A project initially expected in 2025

The Mayumba gas power plant stems from planning efforts by the Gabonese authorities to address structural electricity deficits in the south of the country, while promoting the local use of natural gas produced in the region.

In this context, the project partners carried out a contractual update in 2024 aimed at accelerating implementation. The revision explicitly targeted the delivery of the first megawatts by 2025, with an initial phase of around 9 MW, followed by a gradual ramp-up to 50 MW.

Under the revised arrangements, Perenco committed to installing generation equipment and ensuring natural gas supply. Gabon Power Company was tasked with overseeing grid connection works, including construction of the Mayumba–Tchibanga transmission line and electrification of communities located along the corridor.

The official handover to the state marks the completion of the project’s first stage, in line with contractual commitments made by the stakeholders. This milestone now clears the way for subsequent development phases, consistent with the plan to sustainably strengthen electricity supply in southern Gabon.

Abdel-Latif Boureima