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Andrew Knott, CEO of Savannah Energy, added: “The Bini Project is expected to provide clean, stable and affordable power to northern Cameroon that will support both households and industrial projects in the region. We look forward to working with the Government of Cameroon and our intended developmental finance partners as we move this project through the development and construction phases towards the intended first power in 2027 to 2028. As a company, Savannah is seeking to continue to expand in Cameroon and we will continue to review other potential investment opportunities in the energy sector. We expect the Bini Project will make a key contribution towards the attainment of Savannah Group’s targeted 1GW of renewable energy projects in motion by the end of 2023.” The Bini a Warak project is expected to
address the current electricity shortages caused by the hydrology deficit of the Ladgo Dam and reduce the consequent reliance on expensive thermal-generated power in the region.
Greenland N:I:A team appointed on project to expand Greenland’s largest hydroelectric plant Greenland’s largest hydroelectric power plant – the 45MW Buksefjord project in Buksefjorden – is set to undergo an expansion with N:I:A, consisting of NIRAS, Inuplan, and AFRY, appointed as client consultant for the project. The expansion project will increase
hydropower production from a maximum of 255GWh to an expected future capacity of potentially 660GWh annually. The builders of the project are Greenlandic company NunaGreen A/S and utility company Nukissiorfiit. The expansion of the power plant will involve connecting another lake to the power plant, as well as establishing a new 16km transfer tunnel from the current intake at Lake Kangerluarssunnguup Tasersua to Lake Isortuarsuup Tasia. This will increase the available amount of water from 352 million m3 1248 million m3
.
The project management, tendering of contracts, follow-up, supervision, and all technical disciplines, including tunnelling, technical installations, environmental conditions, plant constructions, and buildings, are included in the task. “We are happy and proud that NunaGreen and Nukissiorfiit have chosen our team for this important task. NIRAS has worked with hydropower in Greenland for many years. This project is an addition to the series of projects where we can apply our numerous capabilities to contribute to the green energy transition,” said Carsten Heine Lund, Director of Infrastructure at NIRAS. Rasmus Johannsen, NIRAS’ project manager on the assignment, is looking forward to collaborating with Inuplan and AFRY as well
8 | May 2023 |
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as NunaGreen and Nukissiorfiit. He said: “We have held a 2-day workshop to get to know the project well and jointly visited the existing hydropower plant in Buksefjorden. All parties involved have demonstrated a really good energy and a great commitment to creating a good and close collaboration, which is the prerequisite for the project to succeed.” As part of the project plan, a market dialogue
with interested general contractors will be carried out in the near future, followed by pre- qualification during the summer of 2023. The contractors will then present their bids, and it is expected that the contract will be awarded to the winning contractor in the spring of 2024. “We are very happy to have such a competent
team of consultants on the project, and we feel very confident about this collaboration. It is a team of advisers who have extensive and long-term experience from similar projects, and they complement each other’s skills very well,” added Ole Ziemer, project manager at Nukissiorfiit. The new company NunaGreen A/S, which is owned by the autonomous self-government of Greenland, will own and build the hydropower plant, while Nukissiorfiit will operate the facility after completion. In addition to the 16km long transfer tunnel,
the project also includes creating a new power station with two turbines next to the existing plant, as well as the construction of several access, transport, and transverse tunnels. According to the current schedule, it is expected that the new part of the hydropower plant will be operational at the beginning of 2029.
Côte d’Ivoire to
Singrobo-Ahouaty hydropower plant nearing completion Singrobo-Ahouaty, West Africa’s first privately- funded hydropower project, is 78.93% complete as of end-March 2023, the African Development Bank has announced. After three years of construction, the project has achieved significant progress, symbolizing private sector mobilization for climate and green growth. The project is funded by €90.7 million in loans and €43.6 million in equity, with the African Development Bank Group contributing €40 million in loan co-financing. Other financiers include Africa Finance Corporation, Neo Themis, IHE Holdings, DEG, and the Emerging Africa Infrastructures Fund. The last structures of the plant, including
cofferdams and sluice gates, have been installed, and the installation of power turbines and alternators is set to begin shortly. The construction of the spillway and tailrace is in progress, with approximately one million cubic meters dug into the rock and 85,000 cubic meters of concrete poured. The project is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024.
Upon completion, the hydropower plant will provide electricity to 100,000 households
and reduce Côte d’Ivoire’s CO2 emissions by 109,000 tons annually. The project is expected to create 500 jobs during the construction phase, including 150 skilled jobs, and 28 jobs during the operational phase. In addition to providing clean energy, the
project includes the construction of a 4km access road, rehabilitation of health centers, and the supply of drinking water to two nearby villages. The facility will diversify Côte d’Ivoire’s energy mix, with the government aiming to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
South Africa DWS opens window for hydropower license applications The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in South Africa has opened a window for interested parties to submit pre-applications for water use authorisations to generate hydropower. In an effort to contribute to the power grid with renewable energy and tackle the country’s power crisis, the DWS has revised its hydropower policy to enable the utilisation of its infrastructure and water resources for renewable energy generation. At a hybrid briefing session that took place in April 2023, DWS Director-General, Dr Sean Phillips, explained the three phases of Water Use Licence Applications (WULA) required for the processing of hydropower license applications. The first phase is a pre-application phase, which will run from April 17 to June 30, 2023. The second phase will be the application compilation and submission, which will end on January 31, 2024. The third and final phase is application processing, decision, and communication by the DWS, which will take a maximum period of 90 working days. According to Advocate Sipho Skasana, a Chief Director in the DWS Water Use Licence Application (WULA), the DWS has initiated the DWS Hydropower Independent Producer Programme (DWS HIPP), which allows for the available infrastructure and water courses to be used to contribute to the power grid with renewable energy. The DWS will support the development
of hydropower as part of both social and economic development within the context of water scarcity and water infrastructure challenges without compromising sustainable protection of water resources and water and sanitation services provisions. The types of hydropower technologies that can be applied for include Impoundment; river diversion or run- of-river; pumped storage and floating or kinetic turbines (small scale generating capacity). The DWS will solely be responsible for
Water Use Licence Applications. However, the department will not provide any financial support to the applicants during application, construction, operations and maintenance, nor be involved in any of the Eskom processes or own any electricity production.
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