First wind turbines rise from Taiba N’Diaye plain

The flat semi-arid Sahel plain of Senegal has a new feature – the first of 46 towering turbines in what is set to be West Africa’s largest wind farm.

The construction work marks a significant milestone for the Taiba N’Diaye Wind Farm, which is being developed by our Africa Joint Venture, Lekela.

Located 90km northeast of the capital Dakar, each of the 117metre towers will produce up to 3.45 MW through their 61.7m blades and latest Vestas V126 turbine.

As its first utility scale wind farm, the 158 MW project will boost Senegal’s energy generation capacity by 15% – enough to power the lives of two million people – when it begins transmitting electricity to the grid later this year.

Lekela’s Senegal General Manager, Massaer Cisse, said: “Seeing the first turbine go up has been a moment of great pride for all of us who have worked hard in making Taiba N’Diaye a reality. We are excited to build the rest of the turbines, which uses the latest technology to harness the best in a renewable energy source.

“What’s more, the construction has generated hundreds of employment opportunities. We have also worked closely with local stakeholders to create a 20-year social investment programme that will benefit the local area. This includes initiatives that will create infrastructure and services for workers, and also encourage local enterprise and school education.”