Vinci Energies, a subsidiary of the French group Vinci, has won a €200 million contract in Senegal, financed with French support. The contract covers the construction of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure throughout the country.
Vinci Energies is strengthening its position in Senegal. The subsidiary of the French group Vinci has won a €200 million contract to build a number of energy infrastructures across the country. In particular, the contract involves the deployment of 1,350 km of overhead and underground high and very high voltage electricity transmission lines. Vinci will build eight extra-high voltage transformer stations.
“Network management will also be extended, in particular with the installation of a remote control interface and communicating overhead and underground fault detection systems”, says the company headed by Arnaud Grison. Carried out as part of the electricity transmission and distribution network development programme financed with support from France, these various projects are expected to employ 1,000 people over the next three years.
Improving access to electricity
As part of the contract signed with Senegal’s national electricity company (Senelec), “local teams will benefit from training and the transfer of know-how, with the support of Vinci Energies’ French and Moroccan companies”, says the company based in Nanterre, France. The aim of this initiative by the Senegalese government is to improve electricity transmission capacity, with a view to achieving universal access to electricity by 2026.
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At present, Senegal is still a long way off the mark, with 32% of the population still lacking access to this essential service, according to the World Bank’s 2021 report. Vinci Energies is therefore helping the Senegalese government to achieve this objective. A few years ago, the company was also chosen by Senelec to install five very high voltage substations, nearly 200 km of very high voltage overhead and underground power lines, and more than 100 electricity distribution substations in the cities of Dakar, Diass, Diamniadio, Thiès, Kounoune, Tobène and Tambacounda.
The value of this contract, awarded as part of the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan, is 197 million euros, financed by a banking pool made up of French and Senegalese lenders, with a guarantee from BPI Assurance Export on the French side, as well as a guarantee from the Senegalese Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Planning.
Jean Marie Takouleu
