The ministerial guidelines presented to the National Assembly are accompanied by a significant financial reassessment, with the total cost of the infrastructure decreasing from 1,050 billion to 872 billion CFA francs, a budget reduction of 17%. The development on the Sanaga River provides for the deployment of an installed capacity of 500 MW, surpassing the Nachtigal complex and its 420 MW.

The accounting adjustments are part of a prudent financial approach while the securing of multilateral support remains under negotiation. To consolidate the legal basis of the operational structure, the Cameroonian state and the French partner EDF International, equal shareholders, have carried out a recapitalization of the Kikot-Mbebe Hydro Power Company. The company's equity has jumped from 5.38 billion to 9.53 billion CFA francs through the conversion of debts. The direct state envelope for co-financing is set at 150 billion CFA francs, while the secured land area covers 527 hectares declared of public utility.

The connection of the power plant to the Southern Interconnected Network requires the laying of a 400 kV high-voltage transmission line over a 40-kilometer corridor. According to the national energy balance, the total installed capacity peaked at 2,280 MW at the end of last year, a level far from the institutional target of 5,000 MW. The revision of the public operator's load plan illustrates the complexity of contractual arrangements in a public-private partnership regime. Adherence to the new roadmap for commissioning in 2033 is conditional on absorbing the structural deficits that penalize the manufacturing activity of the region's major industrial hubs.


Ndjomo Carlos

Tags: barrage de kikot cameroun energie hydroelectrique fleuve sanaga edf international developpement durable infrastructures economie africaine energie renouvelable