Cameroon - Nachtigal Hydro Power Project

The present intervention concerns the Nachtigal Hydro Power Project. It’s a hydroelectric plant of 420 MW, jointly designed by the Republic of Cameroon, EDF International (Electricity of France) and the IFC. The project is to be built on the Sanaga River, 65 km northeast of Yaoundé, which has Cameroon's largest hydropower potential. The plant should be connected to the Southern Interconnected Grid (RIS), which accounts for 94% of Cameroon's electricity consumption. The project also includes the construction of a 225 kV substation and a 50 km transmission line to the Nyom 2 connection station. Nachtigal will be the third project to benefit from the hydroelectric potential of the Sanaga River, after EDEA (276 MW commissioned in the 1950s) and Song Loulou (384 MW in the late 1970s). The project site has good all-season road access, which will facilitate the transportation of equipment during the construction phase. The hydroelectric facilities and the production substation are located in the same perimeter, while the transmission line is located in another perimeter.