(Business in Cameroon) - Between November and December 2021, the French  CEGELEC will complete the construction of the 105km transmission line that connects the foot of the Lom Pangar dam (30MW) to Bertoua. This was revealed during a site visit carried out, on March 16, 2021, by Théodore Nsangou, the general manager of EDC, at the Lom Pangar plant construction site.

This transmission line, whose investment is officially estimated at XAF9 billion, will supply 150 villages in the eastern region thanks to the Lom Pangar power plant that will deliver its first 7.5 megawatts by early 2022 (while the other turbines will be commissioned gradually), according to official sources.

These two investments present formidable opportunities for this part of Cameroon, which currently does not have access to the Eastern Interconnected Grid (EIG) and is mainly supplied by thermal power plants. The commissioning of the Lom Pangar-Bertoua transmission line and the partial operation of the Lom Pangar production plant will coincide with the interconnection of the Eastern Interconnected Grid (EIG) to the Southern Interconnected Grid (SIG) thanks to the construction of a 225 kV high voltage line connecting Yaoundé and Abong-Mbang, in the east of the country.

According to the government, this interconnection will be completed by February 2022, and thanks to it, the eastern region will be supplied from the Songloulou and Edéa power plants, whose capacities have officially increased by 150 MW (during low-water periods) since the Lom Pangar dam was impounded. Coupled with the 30 MW of power expected from the power plant at the foot of the Lom Pangar dam, the interconnection of the EIG and SIG will reduce the energy deficit in the eastern region known for its rich forest and mining resources.

Let’s note that CEGELEC, which is in charge of the construction of the 105km line, won the construction contract in 2015. At the time, the construction of the transmission line was expected to be completed within 12 months. 

Brice R. Mbodiam