Cameroon and Chad interconnection project launched
About 1,556 km of high-voltage transmission lines will be constructed.
Image for illustration purposes.
Cameroon/Chad: About 1,556 km of high-voltage transmission lines will be constructed.
The governments of Cameroon and Chad have launched a project to interconnect the southern and northern power systems of Cameroon, with the aim of enabling electricity trade between Cameroon and Chad and increasing access to electricity in N’Djamena. The scheme is one of Central Africa’s priority integration projects.
About 1,024 km of high-voltage transmission lines will be constructed, 786 km in Cameroon and 238 km in Chad, and 478 localities along these lines will be electrified, including 409 in Cameroon and 69 in Chad. 532 km of lines will also be built within Cameroon connecting the southern and northern power systems. The work will involve the installation of several power lines and substations, together with the rural electrification distribution networks along transmission line corridors.
The aim is that by 2028 transmission between southern and northern Cameroon will reach 522,000 MWh, and power trades between Cameroon and Chad will reach 438,000 MWh. The governments hope to achieve an average price of US$0.05 and US$0.067 a kWh in 2025 and ensure universal access to electricity by 2035. The power supply will stem from the existing 72 MW Lagdo hydropower plant and the planned Bini a Warak hydropower facility in Cameroon.
The National Electricity Corporation (SNE) and the National Electricity Transmission Corporation (Sonatrel) will be the project executing agencies in Chad and Cameroon respectively. Various financiers are financing the project, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, the African Development Fund and the EU along with counterpart funding from the Cameroonian government, with the total estimated cost being $744 million.
Source: Construct Africa