Name and Location
Nachtigal amont hydropower project, Cameroon.

Client
Nachtigal Hydro Power Company (NHPC), comprising EDF International (40%), Cameroon (30%) and the International Finance Corporation (30%).

NHPC will finalise the development activities and raise the financing using development finance institutions and local commercial banks. Then NHPC will be in charge of the construction of the hydroelectric facility and transmission lines, and the operation of the power plant for 35 years.

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 2 000 m long and 15 m high on the Sanaga river to create a 27.8-million- cubic-metre reservoir with a surface 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 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 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 transport the power produced from the power plant generation substation to the Nyom 2 connection substation.

The Nachtigal project also includes an “energy access” component, which will provide local communities around the facilities with better access to electricity.

Value
The project is valued at an estimated $1-billion.

Duration
Construction of the facility is expected to start in late 2016. The commissioning of the first turbine is expected by mid-2020, with the last turbine expected to be commissioned by mid-2021.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
NHPC, email info@nachtigal-hpp.com.