Civil engineering works at the 420MW Nachtigal project are over halfway complete, Cameroon’s Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, updated during a recent site visit.
The Minister told reporters that the 52% of the civil work has been completed, with 48.2% of first electromechanical lot and 99.8% of the transmission line also complete. The project was initially expected to be complete at the end of 2023, but due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Nachtigal Hydro Power Company (NHPC) has now been tasked with starting operations of the first machine in July 2023, with final commissioning in July 2024.
The project is being developed by NHPC – which is jointly owned by the Republic of Cameroon, EDF, International Finance Corporation, Africa 50 and STOA, Lcated on the Sanaga river near the Nachtigal Falls. It is expected the new project will cover 30% of the country's electricity demand, amounting to an annual output of nearly 3TWh, securing an additional and reliable source of electricity for the country.
