22, August 2022
Wärtsilä to provide automation upgrade for an iconic power plant in Kribi 0
The technology group Wärtsilä will carry out an upgrading project of the electrical and automation systems to ensure optimal reliability of the Kribi power plant in the Republic of Cameroon. The 216 MW plant has been in operation for nearly ten years, operating with 13 Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines running primarily on natural gas. At the time of commissioning, it was the largest gas engine power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa. Wärtsilä will also support the customer’s operational and maintenance performance with a 10-year long-term service agreement.
The order with Wärtsilä was placed by Kribi power development company (KPDC), a subsidiary of Globeleq, an independent power producer (IPP) and the owner and operator of power generating facilities across Africa. The order will be booked in Wärtsilä’s order intake in Q3/2022.
“The Kribi power plant has a vital role within the African energy sector. It is still today supplying two-thirds of the thermal energy in Cameroon. Cameroon’s energy system relies heavily on hydropower, but has uncertain resources of water. The Kribi plant, therefore, plays a key role in ensuring a supply of safe, cheap, and reliable energy. For this reason we are keen to upgrade the power plant’s automation systems to the latest design to ensure optimal reliability, and to strengthen our cooperation with Wärtsilä, leveraging their competences on a continuous basis within the framework of the long-term service agreement,” commented Gionata Visconti, Chief Operating Officer, Globeleq.
Wärtsilä has a strong regional presence, which enables us to provide valuable technical support that optimises engine performance and maximises the production capabilities of this power plant which has such a significant role in Cameroon’s power supply. We are also in a position to ensure the availability of critical spare parts, and this is an essential element within the long-term service agreement between our companies. All in all, this is a very important project, both for the customer and for Wärtsilä,” said Markus Ljungkvist, Vice President, Services, Wärtsilä Energy.
The project is scheduled to commence in 2023. To ensure the continuity of the plant’s output, the work will be carried out on one engine at a time. The long-term service agreement includes remote operational support, maintenance planning, technical advisory and remote troubleshooting services, as well as spare parts.
Long-term service agreements are an integral part of Wärtsilä’s lifecycle services offering. They are based on utilisation of the latest digital technologies, and supported by the company’s extensive know-how and understanding of power generation installations.
Wärtsilä has altogether supplied 550 MW of generating capacity to the Republic of Cameroon, and 7.5 GW to the whole of Africa, of which more than 25 per cent are covered by Wärtsilä service agreements.
2, September 2022
CPDM Crime Syndicate: Cocoa exporters get the lion’s share while farmers continue to struggle 0
Cocoa exports during the 2021-22 campaign in Cameroon generated a total of CFA288.7 billion in revenue, according to data from the national cocoa coffee office (ONCC). This sum, collected by the 38 active exporters identified over the period, is largely higher than the profit made by producers. This means that producers, who are the real workforce of the sector, benefit less than others.
This problem is also observed on the global market. The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) reported that the annual turnover of the global cocoa industry reaches $100 billion, but only $2 billion (2%) goes to producers. Chocolate manufacturers reap the largest share with 35% of the turnover, while the remaining is shared between the grinding industry and transporters.
During the 2012-13 campaign, for example, at a time when the farm gate price was close to CFA1,500 per kg in Cameroon, local cocoa farmers sold about CFA250 billion of beans, according to ICCO data. However, during the same period, the global sector generated a total of CFA4,500 billion, said Jean-Marc Anga, then ICCO executive secretary, during the 2013 edition of the Cameroonian cocoa festival (Festicacao 2013).
To boost revenue for producers, the major producing countries on the continent such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon launched with the European Union (EU), the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans, an initiative called Cocoa Talks. It is presented as a dialogue on sustainable cocoa production.
“Sustainability means protecting the environment. But, sustainability also means the survival of producers […] Sustainability rhymes with the protection of the environment, the prohibition of child labor, and ultimately, the prosperity of producers. That is what we want from this discussion,” said Minister Mbarga Atangana, at the opening of the Cocoa Talks on November 18, 2021, in Yaoundé.
Source: Business in Cameroon