Cameroon is set to construct a mini-hydroelectric power plant in Mbakaou, in the Adamaoua region.
Cameroonian branch of the French group Innovation Énergie Développement (IED) who are embarking on the project will sell the energy produced to the electricity distribution company, Eneo, a semi-public company with 56% of the capital held by the Actis group and 44% by the State of Cameroon.
Hydroelectric power plant
The project entails construction of a 1.4 MW capacity, generated by two turbines of 740 Kilowatts each and associated distribution networks. The plant is estimated to cost US $7.6m financed by the European Union, IED, BGFI Bank and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
“This area, as well as its neighbour Tibati, lives in a precarious electrical situation characterized by a low supply of energy from two generators. It is therefore to overcome this shortage that the IED group project is working,” stated IED.
The project is set to benefit 300 new households in unserved areas and 2,500 new households in Tibati and Mbakaou. Once commissioned, the plant will also save the electrician Eneo about US $513000 per year on the fuel costs required to operate the Tibati and Mbakaou thermal power plants. This leads to both an economic and ecological gain.
“In addition to improving service and quality of service in these rural areas, the project will generate greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 2893 tonnes of CO2 per year, due to the partial or total shutdown of the Tibati and Mbakaou thermal power plants, which are now the main sources of power in the area,” stated Eneo.
