Support to OMVG for a complementary economical study of the Sambangalu Hydro Power Project

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The Sambangalou Hydro Power Project (SHPP) is a trans-boundary initiative of the Gambia River Basin Organisation (OMVG). The projected capacity of the hydro plant is 128MW. A feasibility study (including a Social Impact Assessment) was completed in 2006, but required additional assessments and an update of existing findings. The EU-AITF grant financed a complementary economic study by the joint-venture BRL Ingénierie - Nodalis to take into account the environmental (in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal and in the estuarial wetlands in Gambia) and social impacts of the project in the economic analysis. The final report demonstrated a positive economic impact of the project, mainly driven by the savings it would allow on oil-based power generation in the four member countries. However, the environment impacts of the project remain too uncertain to fully evacuate the consequences of the dam on ecosystems and their environmental services. OMVG intends to carry out additional environmental studies to prove the overall positive impact of the project.

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