The No1 and No2 units of Memve'ele Hydropower Station located in southern Cameroon were connected to the local grid and put into use on April 14. They were built by Sinohydro Bureau 16 Co Ltd, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA.
Memve'ele Hydropower Station has installed four mixed-flow hydroelectric generating units with a single unit capacity of 52.75 megawatts (MW) and a combined installed capacity of 211 MW.
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Memve'ele Hydropower Station located in southern Cameroon comes into use on April 14. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
The annual average generating capacity is expected to reach 1.19 billion kilowatts per hour (kWh), which will ensure stable power supply for about 4 million residents in nearby cities including Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.
It will also meet the huge industrial electricity demand and can even export electricity to Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and other regions, pumping revenue to the local economy.
The construction site was completely covered by a large area of primeval forest, but a pedestrian path was carved out with the combination of manual work and mechanical operation.
Large-scale equipment was dismantled before being transported to the site and was then assembled. After 54 months of heavy construction work, the facility was finally finished under an unfavorable environment marked by the hot tropical climate, mosquito ravages, frequent diseases, and the rainy season.
A management office was set up to take care of the large number of local employees hired by the project department.
According to the head of the project department, there were more than 1,400 Cameroonian workers during the peak construction period. With training provided by Sinohydro Bureau 16, these workers were able to master related expertise and skills at a high level.
Since the beginning of March, Sinohydro's technical team deployed for the project has closely cooperated with the National Electricity Company of Cameroon and the southern power grid for operation and has maintained close exchanges. They had completed various sub-tests before the official operation started.
According to a project head, the success of the project will effectively alleviate the power shortage in central and southern Cameroon and adjust the energy structure of Cameroon, therefore contributing to local socioeconomic development and improving livelihoods.
