Name of the Project
Nachtigal Amont hydropower project.

Location
Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Client
Nachtigal Hydro Power Company (NHPC), comprising EDF International (40%), Cameroon (30%) and the International Finance Corporation, or IFC (30%). NHPC will finalise the development activities and raise finance using development finance institutions and local commercial banks. 

Project Description
The project is part of a broad plan to harness the potential of hydroelectric power in the Sanaga river basin. The project will add more than 30% to Cameroon’s hydropower capacity.

The 420 MW hydroelectric facility includes:
• two roller-compacted concrete dams, each 2 000 m long and 15 m high, on the Sanaga river to create a 27.8-million-cubic-metre reservoir with a surface area of 4.21 km2 at normal operating level;
• a headrace concrete-lined canal, about 3.3 km long and 14 m deep, to transfer water to the hydroelectric power plant – the canal will have a maximum design flow rate of 980 m3/s, corresponding to the design flow of the hydroelectric power plant equipment;
• a hydroelectric power plant, including seven 60 MW Francis turbines able to operate as a run-of-river plant or an intermediate peaking plant;
• a secondary 4.5 MW power plant to generate electricity from the environmental flow rate (riparian release) to be discharged downstream of the dam;
• a double-busbar, 225 kV generation substation and a double-circuit 50.3 km transmission line (225 kV), equipped with two bundle conductors, to transmit the power produced from the power plant generation substation to the Nyom 2 connection substation;
• spoil disposal areas for the temporary storage of about 1.8-million cubic metres of excavated material;
• a quarry for the extraction of about 170 000 m3 of laterite;
• a concrete plant to produce about 130 000 m3 of concrete;
• 6.5 km of permanent roads to access the hydroelectric power plant and dam; and
• a 1 ha temporary landfill for the sorting, pretreatment and disposal of nonhazardous solid waste.

Potential Job Creation
About 1 500 jobs are expected to be created during construction.

Value
The project is valued at an estimated $1.36-billion.

Duration
Construction will begin by the end of 2018, when the project reaches financial close, with the dam expected to be commissioned in 2023.

Latest Developments
The EDF, IFC, and the Cameroon government have signed final and binding agreements for the construction of the Nachtigal hydropower plant.

This signing marks the conclusion of all key agreements and contracts relating to the construction, operation and financing of the infrastructure.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
NHPC, tel +237 690 87 18 72 or email info@nachtigal-hpp.com.