31 May 2013 – The Sanaga river basin in the Cameroon, which hosts more than half of the country’s 13,700 MW of hydroelectric potential is the location of the 263 MW Edea, the 396 MW Song Loulou hydroelectric schemes as well as the proposed 330 MW Nachtigal and Lom Pangar hydroelectric projects. The country’s national electricity utility, Electricity Development Corporation (EDC), in addition to developing the 30 MW Lom Pangar project, plans to increase water storage for an additional 120 MW of production capacity at Edea and Song Loulou.

Towards this end EDC has invited expressions of interest from consultants to develop a framework for integrated water resources management in the Sanaga River Basin.

EDC plans to use part of the multilateral funding it has obtained for the 30 MW Lom Pangar hydroelectric project to fund this exercise. EDC recruited consultants in 2012 to serve on a dam safety panel and to manage an environmental and social management plan for Lom Pangar.

Construction of the Lom Pangar project began in August 2012, with this work being financed by the African Development Bank, World Bank, European Investment Bank, Development Bank of Central African States, and the French Development Agency.

An inventory study finds the Sanaga watershed holds 55% of the potential 115 terawatt-hours of hydropower production possible in Cameroon.

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