Name of the Project
Nachtigal Amont hydropower project.

Location
Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Project Owner/s
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.

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

Planned Start/End Date
The facility is expected to gradually begin producing power by the end of 2023, with commercial operation beginning in 2024.

Latest Developments
The project is almost 80% complete.

As far as the civil works package is concerned, work on the main dam is nearing completion. The implementation of roller-compacted concrete was completed in March 2023. With regard to the electromechanical package, the upper crosspiece in the generator shaft of Unit 1 has been installed.

These two important steps bring the project partners closer to impounding the dam in July 2023. The commissioning of the first unit will follow at the end of 2023.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

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