The inauguration of the Lom Pangar Dam last Friday started the effective countdown towards the exploitation of the 10,000-megawatt potential on River Sanaga alone!

President Paul Biya described last Friday’s laying of the foundation stone for the Lom Pangar Dam as a memorable event in the nation’s history. For good measure. The act set the ball rolling, in earnest, for a countdown which will henceforth see a maximum use of the nation’s huge energy potential from the numerous waterways.

According to President Paul Biya, the immediate benefits of the dam when it goes operational are manifold. The quantity of energy produced in the two hydroelectric dams at Songloulou and Edea will be increased by some 170 megawatts without any additional investments on these plants. This will be thanks to the handy six billion cubic metres of water the Lom Pangar dam will hold and which will be released from time to time according to need.

Heavy industries, in dire need of sufficient energy, will have a field day. The East Region, in which the dam is located, will benefit from 30 megawatts of electricity to be produced at the foot of the dam. This electricity will be transmitted to Bertoua, from where it will be distributed to 150 localities in the Region by a 90-kv line. Lom Pangar will also help double the present 1,000 megawatts of energy production shortly after it goes operational.

The immediate benefits of the project also include the creation of 3,500 jobs at the site. At national level, the project will help extend electricity coverage, reduce electricity costs and attract new investors, too often wary of irregular supply and repeated load-shedding. The project is also expected to give a boost to urbanization, education, science, health and business. Experts also expect to see a halt to the massive exodus of youths towards urban areas because of the new lease of life to be brought into the rural milieu, thanks to the availability of electricity.

The entire project is costed at about FCFA 238 billion, with Cameroon providing 61.6 billion, the World Bank 64.5 billion, the Agence Française de Dévéloppement 39.3 billion, the African Development Bank 32.9 billion, the Development Bank of Central African States 20 billion, while the European Investment Bank provided 19.7 billion. Repayment of these loans will be through water charges under the decree on water storage for electricity production signed by the Prime Minister on February 22, 2012.

Building of the dam is by China International Water and Electric Corporation, CWE. The contract stipulates a 38-month time-line at the cost of FCFA 74 billion. The proceed order was signed for Cameroon by the Electricity Development Corporation (the government’s executing agency) and CWE on September 27, 2011. The Chinese started work shortly afterwards. The dam will be 46 metres high and cover about 540 square kilometres (just above the size of the entire Upper Plateau Division in the West or just under the area of Lebialem Division in the South West Region).

Joy

The people of the East Region greatly appreciate the location of this project in their land and let it be known by an enthusiastic welcome they reserved for President Paul Biya last Friday. Though the project site is virtually lost in the thick Deng-Deng Forest, some 10,000 people still managed to turn out for the event. A real feat! Many obviously were not so familiar with all these technical details or even the fortunes electricity is going to bring; but rather came to meet the Head of State, even if for just the 120-odd minutes he spent in their midst.

The Mayor of Belabo, the Sub-division within which the dam is located, Essouka Gomone and the representative of the élite, Bernard Wongolo, all expressed their gratitude for the advent of the project, expressing the wish to see other development projects follow.

It was a visibly satisfied President Biya who waved from his Range Rover jeep towards his helicopter as he left Lom Pangar. Satisfaction on two fronts: the massive turnout and show of support and his having launched another face-lifting project so dear to him.