KARMOL, a joint venture of Karpowership and MOL, said it would soon send its first floating storage and regasification unit to Senegal.
The venture said it took delivery of Karmol LNGT Powership Africa on March 15 at Sembcorp Marine in Singapore.
In addition, the 272 meters long vessel will start sea trials off Singapore on Tuesday ahead of its deployment to Senegal, KARMOL said.
In Senegal, Turkey’s Karpowership, part of Karadeniz, is operating a 235 MW Powership, around 15% of the country’s supply, since August 2019.
The first KARMOL FSRU will sail to the West African country in early April and the Powership will switch to operating with LNG before the end of June, according to the venture.
KARMOL’s technology includes a combination of Powerships and FSRU’s to bring LNG-to-power projects to countries with no domestic gas supply.
The company plans to switch its entire fleet of Powerships to LNG.
The joint venture has another FSRU under construction at Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine. This vessel will work in Mozambique, according to KARMOL.
Both of the FSRUs have a capacity of 125,000 cubic meters, each, and they are conversions of old MOSS-type carriers.
KARMOL board member Gokhan Kocak said, “this is a big moment for West Africa and the wider continent, and an exciting time for KARMOL.”
“We have a bold ambition to offer LNG to power across the world and especially within Africa. Usage of FSRUs mean we can unlock the benefits of clean and affordable electricity for millions of people, even where countries have no domestic gas production or infrastructure,” he said.