By Doh James Sonkey
The Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Gaston Eloundou Essomba signed last April 20, 2023 an agreement with the British company, SAVANNAH ENERGY RCM LIMITED to re-launch the construction of the Bini hydropower project at Warak.
The British government was represented at the occasion by the official of SAVANNAH ENERGY RCM LIMITED, Andrew Knott and the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E Dr Christian Dennys McClure.
The British company, SAVANNAH ENERGY RCM Limited will therefore take over the construction of this project suspended since 2019 because of lack of funding from the financial partners.
The company will therefore proceed to; construct a dam and a hydroelectric centre of 75MW capacity; construct a line to evacuate electric energy of 225KV on some 50km and the electrification of 5 neighbouring localities of the project; construct and rehabilitate access roads to the site of the project of about 23 km; put in place environmental and social measures.
The project according to Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba, falls in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS 2020-2030) which will ensure the structural transformation of the national economy, one of the objectives assigned to the electricity sector is to attain installed capacity of 5.000 MW by 2030 so as to satisfy the needs of households, industries and to make Cameroon an exporting country of electricity in the sub region.
The project to construct a hydropower over river Bini at Warack according to the Minister aims at supporting these objectives through the additional production of 75 MW all by permitting to reinforce the current offer of the Interconnected North Network which disposes a hydropower station at Lagdo, Solar Station at Guider and Maroua and thermal stations. Eloundou Essomba added that the putting into use of the Bini hydropower at Warak will enable government to reduce heavy charges linked to the buying of combustible substance.