Launched 2 years ago, construction work on the Kinguélé Aval hydroelectric dam with a production capacity of 35 MW has reached cruising speed, according to experts working on this gigantic electrical construction site located approximately 100 km from Libreville.
There are currently machines of all calibers all over the perimeter of the construction site that was recently visited by the Prime Minister, Raymond Ndong Sima, accompanied by Jeannot Kalima and Mays Mouissi, respectively Ministers of Energy and Economy. Some are digging along the Mbei River whose water flow will be used to power the turbines of the future plant. Others are stabilizing the excavated areas to create the water retention basin… Some 450 workers, including 350 Gabonese, are working on the structure built by the Chinese company Syno-Hydro, which specializes in this field.
« We are working on the development of the bottom drain, as well as the first concreting of the dam itself, since the excavations are finished and now the dam is starting to emerge from the ground, it will have a height of 45 meters. “, confided to journalists invited to the site, Sylvain Bouye, General Manager of ASONHA Energie, project owner.
The work is already over 30% complete. It is accelerating thanks to the rainy season. The concreting phase accelerated during the months of July and August. The finishing work on the excavations is visible on the factory side.
13% more energy
The Kinguelé Aval dam is a structuring project that aims to significantly reduce the energy deficit in the Libreville region and its surroundings. The power plant under construction will produce 35 MW of electricity, or 13% additional energy. The production will be added to the energy mix of the Libreville interconnected network. The objective is to meet the ever-increasing demand from households and economic operators.
According to forecasts, the Kinguélé Aval hydroelectric dam will come into operation in 24 months. Three turbines of 12 megawatts each will be installed on the excavated rock. The large equipment is being manufactured in China. The delivery of the various parts, which has already begun, will continue until the beginning of next year.
« The plant will connect to the existing line that serves the interconnected network of Libreville. It is a 225 Kv line that already supplies the network with the production of the Kinguelé and Tchimebélé dams “, explained Sylvain Bouye.
Funding
The overall cost of the project is 118 billion FCFA. It is being implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the French fund Méridiam and Gabon Power Company (GPC), a subsidiary of the Gabonese Strategic Investment Fund (FGIS). The two entities set up ASONHA Energie, which was designated as the project owner.
« The Kinguélé Aval project is a real PPP success. It allows for the raising of non-sovereign (private) financing necessary for the realization of this structuring project in order to limit the State’s recourse to public debt. “, says Philippe Ossoucah, General Director of the GPC.
The Kinguélé Aval project is also supported by financial institutions, namely the International Finance Corporation (IFC, a subsidiary of the World Bank), the African Development Bank (AfDB) as part of its “electrify Africa” project, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.
Kinguélé Aval will become the 3th dam built in the Mbei Valley. The first hydroelectric dams in the area are Kinguélé (57.6 MW) located 10km from Kinguelé Aval. All 1is dam and the most powerful is that of Tchimbélé (68 MW) located 50 km upstream.
All these dams allow Gabon to increase its production of “green”, clean and sustainable electricity.
Sydney IVEMBI, special correspondent
2024-09-24 15:21:59
#Work #Kinguélé #Aval #hydroelectric #dam #reaches #cruising #speed
