Name of the Project
Kinguélé Aval hydropower plant.

Location
Libreville, Gabon.

Project Owner/s
Asonah Energie, comprising the Gabon Power Company (GPC) and Meridiam, with the support of several major financing institutions – the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector, the African Development Bank, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.

The GPC is a portfolio company of the Gabonese Strategic Investment Fund, and Meridiam an independent investment benefit corporation, specialising in the development, financing and long-term management of sustainable public infrastructures.

Project Description
The project entails the construction of a 35 MW hydropower plant capable of generating 203 GWh of electricity.

This amounts to an estimated 9% of the country’s current total output, enough to serve 32 000 customers and saving more than 150 000 t/y of carbon dioxide emissions.

The hydropower plant underscores Gabon's Plan Stratégique Gabon Émergent, which commits the Gabonese government to provide its people with affordable electricity.

The plant will comprise a 48-m-high, 250-m-long conventional concrete gravity dam with a 210-m-long embankment dam, diverting water to a surface powerhouse, containing three 12 MW vertical axis Francis turbines with a maximum flow rate of 90 m³/s.

Potential Job Creation
The acquisition of construction equipment and materials from Gabonese companies will be favoured, thus supporting the diversification, development and economic recovery of the country.

During the construction period, 800 direct jobs will be created on site.

During the operation phase, 20 Gabonese professionals will be responsible for running the hydroelectric plant.

Capital Expenditure
The project is estimated at €178-million.

Planned Start/End Date
The construction of the hydropower plant is expected to start in the third quarter of 2021 and will be completed in 40 months.

Latest Developments
The Kinguele Aval hydropower plant project has reached financial close.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Mott MacDonald (technical, environmental and social adviser).

Contact Details for Project Information
GPC, tel +241 11 74 22 46 or email contact@gpc-gabon.com.