MAN Energy Solutions to set up power plant in Guinea

MAN Energy Solutions is about to stabilize the power supply in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. The company is installing six MAN 18V32/40 engines in a power plant that will provide 53 MW of electrical power for the city, which has over a million residents.

Currently, the plant is being set up in the municipal area of Conakry in close collaboration with the Turkish EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) company Iltekno. Upon completion of the construction project, MAN PrimeServ, the after-sales brand of MAN Energy Solutions, will operate and maintain the power plant for five years on behalf of the client, the Tè Power Company. The project was developed and financed by the independent power producer Endeavor Energy, which is based in Houston, Texas.

“The power supply in Conakry is consistently subject to large fluctuations and we have made it our goal to stabilize this supply. Therefore, the reliability of the technology we use takes utmost priority. Our 32/40 engines are the right choice as they are known for their robustness, reliability and long maintenance intervals,” explains Waldemar Wiesner, Head of Region MEA (Middle-East Africa), Power Plant Sales at MAN Energy Solutions. “Since the power plant is situated in the center of the city, it is also crucial that emissions are kept to a minimum. Thanks to exhaust gas cleaning via SCR (selective catalytic reduction), the plant will not just comply with the emissions standards of the World Bank, but also fall below these limits considerably.”

The major challenge of ensuring a comprehensive power supply

The power supply in Guinea is based approximately two-thirds on hydroelectric power and a third on thermal power plants. The total installed capacity falls short of the current demand of around 550 MW.

“Only around a third of the population in Guinea have a reliable supply of electricity. Supply shortfalls occur with particular regularity in the dry season, owing to the large dependence on hydroelectric power. In such cases, engine power plants act as a reliable safeguard,” explains Stefan Eefting, Senior Vice President MAN PrimeServ. “Our power plant solutions are designed to overcome the challenges of guaranteeing a reliable power supply anywhere in the world.”