Wärtsilä Generating Sets for Gold Miner
Power equipment supplier Wärtsilä announced the order for the five Wärtsilä 32 generating sets on 27 August 2026. The order was placed by the France-based main EPC contractor (engineering, procurement and construction contractor) handling the installation of the power plant, Africa Power Services.
The Diamba Sud Gold Gold Project is being developed by Fortuna Mining. The 14 MW plant will provide the sole source of electricity for the mining project’s operations. Due to its remote location, the mine will depend solely on this plant for its power needs, as Fortuna Mining plans to develop an islanded power supply (or microgrid) for the mine. Wärtsilä has over five years of experience integrating its gensets with energy storage systems.
“Operating a remote, off-grid mine requires reliable power, as any unscheduled downtime carries financial and operational risks. Selecting Wärtsilä’s engines for Diamba Sud ensures we mitigate operational risks from day one, while building a power foundation that can seamlessly integrate renewable energy assets as the mine evolves,” says Cedric Fernandez, Managing Director at APS.
Fortuna Mining has provided guidance that it intends to take a final investment decision on the Diamba Sud Gold project in H2 2026. The Diamba Sud Gold project is located in the Kédougou region of southeastern Senegal, 50km north of the Senegal-Guinea border. On 10 August, Fortuna Mining announced that it was acquiring an adjacent gold exploration project, Bambadji, from subsidiaries of Barrick Mining Corporation and IAMGOLD Corporation.
The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in March 2027, and the power plant is expected to be operational by the end of that year.
Alongside advisory support during the installation and commissioning phases, the scope of the order includes:
- five Wärtsilä 32 generating sets
- basic engineering
- engine specific auxiliary units
- the engine control and monitoring system.
Islanded power supply
Islanded power supply systems offer particular advantages for geographically remote mining operations in locations without well-developed electricity grid infrastructure, such as some countries in West Africa.
Microgrids offer improved reliability and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy-intensive industries such as mining, particularly when renewables power supply and a battery energy storage system (BESS) is integrated. Fortuna Mining introduced a 12 MWh capacity solar photovoltaic plant and BESS at its Lindero mine in Argentina in 2025, which now accounts for almost 39% of energy supply at the mine.
Wärtsilä notes that integrating gensets into microgrids requires fast-starting flexibility to enable efficient grid balancing.
“Mining operations are under dual pressure to maintain maximum uptime while actively charting a path toward decarbonisation,” commented Marc Thiriet, Energy Business Director, Africa at Wärtsilä Energy.
“By deploying multiple smaller engine-generating sets instead of a single large unit, we enable the plant to match fluctuating load demands with high precision, maximiszing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Critically, these engines feature the starting flexibility required to balance the intermittent nature of solar or wind power, thereby complimenting Fortuna Mining’s future plans to introduce renewables to this microgrid strengthening the mines operational stability.”
Key Partners
Fortuna Mining - Fortuna Mining is a Canada-based mining company with mines in the Latin America and West Africa regions. The company operates mines and conducts exploration activities in Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guyana, Peru, and Senegal.
Africa Power Services - APS is a France-based engineering, procurement and construction contractor. APS has particular expertise in overseeing continuous power supply installation projects for mining projects in Africa, including a 12MW thermal power plant for Mauritanian iron ore producer Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM) at its Zouerat mining facility, as well as continuous power generation projects for gold miners in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal.
