Prospects of hydropower for electricity generation in the East Region of Cameroon

Abstract

Currently, households in the East Region of Cameroon (ERoC) depend solely on fossil-fueled plants to meet their energy needs. Fossil fuel-based sources are a major drain on public finance in addition to being a key contributor to the increase in carbon footprints. Alternatively, the ERoC is blessed with a hydropower potential estimated at around 620.37 MW, with a production potential of 5.36 TWh per year. However, despite its favorable candidates’ sites, hydropower resources are yet to be harnessed in the ERoC. Hence, the need for a thorough assessment of hydropower potential is necessary in order to increase stakeholders’ awareness and interest in attractive hydropower resources. This paper evaluates and highlights the hydropower potential of seven selected locations in the ERoC and contributes to constituting a database for the stakeholders of the hydropower resources for electricity generation. Specifically, hydrological data, mean flow rates and mean volume contributions on each site’s river basin are explored. Furthermore, the present work highlights optimal regulation ratios, nominal flow rates, producible energy, investment costs as well as other useful parameters for projected hydropower plants for the seven selected locations in the ERoC. The results display a cumulative projected capacity of 582 MW, of which 19 MW from Zoukoumanbale, 18 MW from Colomines, 53 MW from Zoulabot, 297 MW from Nki falls, 129 MW from Yenga, 35 MW from Bangue and 124 MW from Ngoila. Moreover, 3 929 GWh are projected cumulative producible energy for the selected locations. Investment costs estimates of hydroelectric plants range between 2 964 € per kW (for Colomines) and 3 002 € per kW (for Bangue).