- Additional thermal capacities increased in Djamboutou, Ngaoundere, Maroua and Kousseri.
- In Guider, two 30kV transmission lines were built over 4km from the site of solar and thermal power plants to the Guider source substation.
Cameroon’s national electricity utility has launched two solar plants with 30 megawatt (MW) capacity. Eneo Cameroon recently held a ceremony to inaugurate the solar power plants in Maroua and Guider. The Maroua and Guider plants were built by Scatec at Eneo’s request. Eneo said, “Launched in mid-2021, implementation of the Maroua and Guider solar power plants was accelerated such that as from January 2022 the first megawatts produced were injected into the system. As panels were installed, the operational capacities of both structures increased accordingly. These power plants help balance supply and demand in the North Interconnected Grid (NIG).”
The utility said this supply and demand balance is now guaranteed due to a combination of factors: The high-water level on River Benoue, makes it possible to fill the Lagdo appropriately and as such to make sure the power plant generates power optimally. Additional thermal capacities increased in Djamboutou, Ngaoundere, Maroua and Kousseri. Additional development of major solar power stations: Guider and Maroua are the first, other additional projects are also underway. Eneo General Manager, Amine Homan Ludiye, said the utility has adopted a comprehensive solution to the power supply problem in the Far North Region, caused by low water levels.
“Eneo has therefore proposed and implemented solutions such as solar power, to cover an increasingly growing demand, especially with the rise in the number of industrial projects. “Supplying more diversified electricity helps to improve quality of life, reduce pollution with greener energy and create jobs.” Eneo said that in Maroua and Guider, its generation capacity is 30MW plus thermal capacities. In Guider, two 30kV transmission lines were built over 4km from the site of solar and thermal power plants to the Guider source substation. These lines are built on metal poles and made from almelec cables with a cross-section of 148mm².
One 15/30kV step-up substation with a 20MVA capacity, built on the site of the solar and thermal plants, tied to the solar & thermal power plants and two 30kV transmission lines. Rehabilitation and installation of primary cells with sets of 30kV busbars from the Guider source substation and connection of two 30 kV transmission lines to the NIG. In Maroua, two 15 kV transmission lines over 2.5 km from the solar power plant site to the Maroua source substation. Installation of a primary cell with sets of 15kV busbars from the Maroua source substation and connection of 15kV transmission lines to the NIG.
Scatec said the Maroua and Guider solar power plants are equipped with over 44,800 bifacial solar panels mounted on trackers, which will help maximise energy production throughout the day. The installations will generate 80GWh of electricity each year. It will also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, with an estimated saving of almost 60,000 tonnes per year. “The solar power plants have been completed in phases generating electricity throughout 2022 and are now fully completed. There have been reports of significant improvements in electricity supply in the northern parts of Cameroon,” said Scatec.