Siemens Energy helps Togo meet almost  40% of electricity demand 

•  Providing gas turbine and other key components for the 65 MW combined  cycle Kékéli Efficient Power plant project 
• Project will improve access to cleaner energy and improve grid stability in      the country 
• Plant will eventually be fully staffed by Togolese citizens 

Siemens Energy has successfully delivered a SGT-800 gas turbine to the site of 

Kékéli Efficient Power S.A., as part of their development of the 65 megawatt 

(MW) combined cycle power plant in the Republic of Togo, supporting 

improved access to reliable and affordable energy in the West African nation. 

The turbine was built by Siemens Energy in Finspång, Sweden, and shipped to 

Togo by sea, to form the core of the combined cycle power plant. Located in 

the capital Lomé, the 65 MW plant will cover almost 40% of the country’s 

expected demand at completion, whilst creating job opportunities for Togolese 

citizens.  

The turbine delivery follows a competitive bidding process which led to the 

signing of a memorandum of understanding, in October 2018, between the 

Republic of Togo, Siemens Energy, Pan-African industrial group Eranove, and 

EPC partner TSK Group, to successfully develop the country's first gas-fired 

combined cycle power plant. This Independent Power Producer (IPP) project 

represents the first time an IPP has been entirely financed by African financial 

institutions. 

During the groundbreaking ceremony that took place last year, the Energy 

Minister Ably-Bidamon had said: “The construction of this thermal power plant 

will comply with all environmental norms fighting against greenhouse effects 

and harmful effects of climate change.” He also had stressed how this power 

plant will contribute to Togo’s ambition to achieve 100% electrification by 

2030, up from 45% back in 2018. With assistance from Siemens Energy, this 

ambition is becoming reality. 

“We are proud to be following through on our commitment to the people of 

Togo to provide affordable and reliable power sources while also moving 

toward an environmentally sustainable and financially accessible baseload 

energy production,” said Marcus Nelle, Senior Vice President of Sales for Africa 

at Siemens Energy. “Due to its flexibility, the unit will contribute to the 

stabilization of the power grid in Togo and enable easier integration of 

renewables into the grid.”  

The Kékéli project is aligned with the goals of the new National Development 

Plan (NDP), of meeting the nation’s growing electricity needs at an affordable 

cost. It will help reduce Togo’s reliance on less efficient heavy fuel oil (HFO) 

reciprocating engines power plants in the local energy mix and reduce CO2 

emissions. For each unit of electrical energy produced, natural gas-fired 

combined cycle power plants produce over 20% less CO2 than the HFO power 

plants previously dominating Togo’s energy mix. Even when operating on 

natural gas, reciprocating engines emit high quantities of unburnt 

hydrocarbons (e.g. methane), which are extremely powerful greenhouse gases. 

These emissions are negligible for gas turbines. Kékéli Efficient Power is thus a 

big step for Togo towards an environmentally sustainable energy mix. 

Eranove and Siemens Energy are committed to ensuring the long-term 

maintenance of the power plant in order to provide reliable energy to the 

Togolese people.  

Through the development of training in management, operations and 

maintenance, the power plant will eventually be fully staffed by Togolese 

citizens. 

The Kékéli project will make use of Togo’s gas infrastructure to serve as a proof 

of concept that gas fired power plants can be a reliable, economical, efficient 

and decarbonizing alternative to HFO. At the time of start-up, Kékéli Efficient 

Power will be the most efficient power plant of its range and the smallest 

combined cycle power plant with Siemens Energy gas turbines in sub-Sahara 

Africa. It will also provide energy security for Togo as the SGT-800 can be fueled 

by natural gas supplied from the West African Pipeline, or by liquefied propane 

gas. 

With more than 370 units sold worldwide, the SGT-800 has a proven, 

longstanding track record of successful installations around the world, and is 

perfectly suited for base and intermediate load as well as grid support.