Sterling and Wilson signs EPC contract in Niger

Sterling and Wilson announced its Hybrid & Energy Storage division (HES), in consortium partnership with French EPC Company Vergnet and SNS Niger, has signed an EPC contract to construct a Solar PV Battery Storage and Diesel Genset based hybrid power plant in Agadez, Niger, in West Africa. The project consists of 18.9MWp solar + 11.55MWh/3.0 MVA battery energy storage system (BESS) + 6.54 MVA (2.18 x 3 MVA) diesel generator and 20 kV substation, and evacuation line up to the Nigelec Substation in Agadez. The consortium will also be responsible for a two-year operation and maintenance (O&M) service of the power plant. The project includes the rehabilitation of the electrical network of the city of Agadez, which does not allow the evacuation of electricity to and within the city, and the electrification of the neighbouring hamlet of Tibinitene. The consortium will provide project management assistance and institutional support to train engineers and technicians of Nigelec in photovoltaic technologies to enable them to operate large-scale solar power plants in the short term and to ensure smooth functioning of the plant even after two years. The project would be Niger’s first ground-mounted Solar PV, Diesel and Battery Storage based power plant and is crucial for Agadez, a city which is located at the gateway to the Sahara Desert and isolated from the rest of the country.