The Turkish energy giant Karpowership has become a cornerstone of Gabon’s power landscape, with its floating power plants now supplying 150 megawatts to the national grid. This contribution represents roughly a quarter of the country’s total available generation capacity, underscoring both the urgency of Gabon’s energy challenges and the critical role played by foreign operators in plugging immediate gaps. Evans Damada, the company’s country director, highlights how these offshore power stations—anchored near Libreville and Port-Gentil—have swiftly become indispensable amid persistent blackouts affecting homes and industries alike.
Rapid scaling of power supply in Gabon
Karpowership’s rapid integration into Gabon’s energy mix reflects its ability to respond to critical demand in a matter of months. The company’s powerships, which can be towed between countries and connected to local grids within weeks, offer a speed advantage over traditional land-based plants that require years of construction. This flexibility has made the Turkish model particularly attractive across Africa, with operational presence in nations like Côte d’Ivoire, Sénégal, Guinée-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Gambie, and Mozambique. Contracts typically span multiple years, priced in dollars with rates tied to actual kilowatt-hour output—an arrangement that has sparked financial debates in several African capitals due to its exposure to volatile hydrocarbon markets.
Energy security and the risks of over-reliance
For Gabonese authorities, the 150 MW injection provides critical relief as the Société d’énergie et d’eau du Gabon (SEEG) struggles to meet surging demand driven by rapid urbanization, economic zone expansions, and revived mining projects. The country’s electricity mix relies on a mix of hydropower, natural gas, and fuel oil, but aging infrastructure has steadily eroded its operational margins. While Karpowership’s contribution offers short-term stability, questions linger about the long-term implications of entrusting a quarter of national power capacity to a single foreign provider. This dependency complicates Gabon’s broader ambitions to harness domestic gas resources and bolster energy sovereignty, especially as the transitional government prioritizes infrastructure renewal following the regime change of August 2023.
Bridging the gap toward sustainable solutions
According to Evans Damada, Karpowership’s role is explicitly transitional, designed to stabilise the grid until new domestic projects come online. Key initiatives include the Kinguélé Aval hydroelectric dam, a collaboration between Meridiam and Gabon Power Company, as well as offshore gas-powered plants tapping into national reserves. Once operational, these projects are expected to gradually reduce the powerships’ share of the energy mix. In the interim, the Turkish fleet remains the backbone of the grid, supplying both Libreville and the industrial corridor of Estuaire province on a continuous basis. Maintenance is handled by mixed Turkish-Gabonese teams, alongside modest but growing local training programs aimed at building technical expertise.
The immediate challenge for Gabon is no longer whether to continue relying on Karpowership, but how to renegotiate terms, extend contracts, and accelerate the integration of domestic gas resources. Tariff structures, contract lengths, and the pace of national gas development are poised to become the next flashpoints in energy policy. Industry observers note that the Turkish operator appears committed to a long-term partnership with Gabon’s electricity sector, positioning itself as a bridge to a more self-sufficient energy future.
