At a time when the use of gas as a transitional energy source is being debated in West Africa and around the world, Azito Energie, which operates the largest combined-cycle gas power plant in Ivory Coast, has chosen to focus on managing its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To do this, the company, which is 77% owned by independent power producer (IPP) Globeleq, will be using artificial intelligence (AI).
Azito Energie has reached an agreement with GE Vernova, which will deploy its AI software called “CERius™”. This tool will harness the power of AI and machine learning (ML) to improve data accuracy and emission reduction planning capabilities related to gas combustion. The automated collection of greenhouse gas (GHG) data will enable Azito to manage “more accurately and suggest recommendations to operationalise carbon reduction efforts by providing scenario analysis, team collaboration and reporting in line with GHG protocols”, says GE Vernova.
What impact does this have on the carbon footprint?
For Linda Rae, GE Vernova’s Managing Director for Power Generation and Oil & Gas, “the energy transition requires agility, speed and accuracy in data collection. One of the most effective ways of reducing emissions in the energy sector is to pursue digital transformation”. This approach is undoubtedly a first in Africa for GE Vernova, the subsidiary of the American giant General Electric (GE).
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The American conglomerate has also participated in the extension of the Azito power plant, located 6 km from the city of Abidjan. GE has equipped the fourth unit (253 MW) of the power station, which is due to be completed in 2023, at a cost of $370 million. With a combined capacity of 713 MW, the Azito power plant supplies 30% of Ivory Coast’s basic electricity capacity by burning natural gas from the country’s offshore fields.
The use of technology to manage power plant emissions does not reduce the carbon footprint of these infrastructures any further. However, industry experts estimate that using natural gas as a fuel can halve the CO2 emissions of a combined-cycle power plant compared with a coal-fired plant.
Jean Marie Takouleu