Greenfield Expertise

Greenfield projects have been one of the main growth engines for ContourGlobal since inception. In almost 20 years of existence, we created a strong reputation of “getting things done”, which became a competitive advantage when discussing new projects with energy off-takers and financiers.

Our Know-How

One of the main aspects of our continuous growth success is the trust from our clients in our capacity to deliver projects on time and on budget. This trust is particularly valuable in frontier markets where:

  • Governments need a reliable partner to bring projects to life
  • Final customers require an experienced operator in order to guarantee secure energy supply and safe operations.

We see greenfield projects as one of the corner stones of our growth, with most of the company involved in the sourcing, developing and construction of assets, particularly in Africa and Latin America.

  • ContourGlobal Togo Workplace
    Togo - Workplace
  • Cap des Biches and its environment
    Cap des Biches - Construction
  • Sao Domingos II - Greenfield
    Sao Domingos II - Powerhouse
  • Chapada Greenfield
    Chapada - Wind Turbines
  • Talara - Substation
    Talara - Substation

Greenfield in Africa

Sub-Saharan power markets are vastly underserved, and CG has made a commitment to help meet the demand for affordable, reliable, on-demand power in this market.

We work closely with African governments to design optimal solutions, and we have the technical, legal, and financial resources to execute these solutions faster and more efficiently than our peers.

Togo

ContourGlobal began operating in Africa in 2008 when it developed and constructed its 100 MW power plant in Lomé, Togo, using natural gas and heavy fuel oil as its primary fuels.

The ContourGlobal Togo plant, winner of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation’s 2014 “Impact Award for Critical Infrastructure,” was placed into commercial operation in 2010 and has been a reliable producer of electricity for the country ever since.

Learn more about out Togo asset
Togo Plant - Greenfield
Togo Plant - View

Cap des Biches

Located 15 km South of Dakar, Senegal, Cap des Biches represents the largest investment by a U.S. company in Senegal. Cap des Biches was developed and constructed in two phases:

  • 53 MW that began generating electricity in early 2016 after only 14 months of construction
  • 33 MW that reached commercial operations in late 2016

The development and construction of Cap des Biches was executed in half the time required for similar projects in the region, with zero lost-time injuries and provide the lowest cost energy in Senegal.

Learn more about our Cap des Biches asset
Senegal - Construction 2
Senegal - Construction

Greenfield in Latin America

Brazil and Peru are other examples where greenfield projects are fully integrated in ContourGlobal development strategy.

Brazil

Our first asset in Brazil in 2007 was the small-hydro power plant of Sao Domingos II located in the state of Goias. This project was particularly interesting because the basin of Sao Domingos river had a great potential to expand our hydro footprint, which was realized with the construction of our second asset in the country, the small hydro power plant  of Galheiros.

The know-how gained in the development of SHP Sao Domingos II was replicated many times over in Brazil, leading to a growth in installed capacity from 24.8MW in 2009 to 633 MW in early 2016, all based in early stage greenfield projects. We grew our technology footprint to Wind Farms, developing and constructing 597MW between 2010 and 2016 (Asa Branca, Chapada I, Chapada II and Chapada III), an average of 100MW a year.

  • Sao Domingos II - Greenfield
    Sao Domingos II - Basin
  • Chapada - Greenfield 2
    Chapada - Wind Farm

Peru

We have also expanded our greenfield foot print to Peru, constructing the two first large scale wind farms in the country, Cupisnique and Talara. What other sponsors saw as a “risky” project, we saw it as a great opportunity. The project fundamentals were strong:

  • Comprehensive wind measurements

  • Awarded average PPA price of USD 85/MWh

  • Completed Permitting

  • Committed tier one turbine supplier on the project

In six months, Contour Global negotiated a Sales & Purchase Agreement with the project developer, signed an EPC contract with the turbine supplier and developed a strong financing strategy with the Peruvian development bank (COFIDE). We successfully finalized construction as per schedule in mid-2014 and completed the financing strategy issuing the first project level green bonds in Latin America in 2014.