A 500 MW power plant to strengthen energy security February 14, 2026

The Sovereign Fund for Strategic Investments (Fonsis) reveals details of the construction of the 500 megawatt gas-fired power plant. The infrastructure aims to sustainably strengthen Senegal’s energy security and support the growth of domestic gas exploitation.

The Sovereign Fund for Strategic Investments (Fonsis) manages state assets with an approach focused on value creation and long-term profitability. Thus, as part of the “Gas-to-Power” strategy, aimed at developing national gas resources, he was mandated to manage the development, financing, construction and operation of a natural gas power plant with a capacity of 500 megawatts. The structure launched the call for partnership yesterday and Friday. The infrastructure is intended to sustainably strengthen Senegal’s energy security and support the growth of domestic gas exploitation. The power plant will be developed according to an Ipp (“Independent Power Producer”) model and structured through the creation of a dedicated Project Company (Spv). The project will cover the entire value chain of electricity production, including in particular the carrying out of technical, economic, financial, environmental and social feasibility studies, in accordance with national standards and applicable international standards. A detailed technical design (engineering) of the plant is also planned, integrating technological choices optimized in terms of efficiency, availability and operating costs. The other advantage of the project is the turnkey construction of the plant including production equipment, auxiliary installations, control systems and connection works to the national electricity network. There are also tests, industrial commissioning and final acceptance of the installations. The preferred technology is that aimed at high energy efficiency, a low carbon footprint and competitive production costs. The plant will be integrated into the national electricity network with evacuation of the energy produced to existing or to be developed substations and transmission lines. As such, the National Electricity Company of Senegal (Senelec), in its capacity as sole buyer, will negotiate and sign an Energy Purchase Agreement (Ppa in English). It will be subject to approval by the Energy Sector Regulatory Commission (Crse), in accordance with current regulations. With the start of gas exploitation on December 31, 2024, Senegal aims to develop hydrocarbons in order to guarantee the availability of electricity at lower cost. With Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (Gta), operated with Mauritania, around 3.77 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas have been produced so far, or 1.39 million barrels. For oil too, the trend is good. In 2025, final production results for Sangomar show 36.1 million barrels of crude oil, demonstrating the efficiency of operations. Sangomar’s 2024 annual production stood at around 16.9 million barrels of crude oil, surpassing the initial target of 11.7 million barrels.

Demba DIENG