The project company piloting the construction of the 420 MW Nachtigal dam in the Central region of Cameroon, has announced the completion of the construction of the dam’s operating compound, which is expected to deliver its first megawatts in 2023.

The technical acceptance ceremony of this city, whose cost is estimated at about 17 billion CFA francs, took place on June 30, 2022, reveals NHPC in its latest newsletter.

“An essential component of the Nachtigal project, the 18.52-hectare operating complex is intended to house the personnel in charge of operating the Nachtigal hydroelectric scheme, as soon as it is commissioned in 2024,” with the entry into operation of all seven groups, NHPC said.

In addition to modern housing for staff, the housing estate built in Batschenga has all the amenities to ensure the well-being of its inhabitants: a school, a shopping centre, a health centre, various playgrounds and leisure areas, etc., we learn. According to the local authorities, this development will bring more modernity to the town of Batschenga.

Built by the SGC (Société Générale de Construction) company, which will have to remedy what NHPC describes as “minor reservations” recorded during the technical acceptance, the housing estate is the second component of the Nachtigal project to be completed. This, after the construction of the transmission line, whose work was completed in August 2021, six months ahead of the initial schedule.

As a reminder, the Nachtigal hydroelectric scheme, an investment of around CFAF 800 billion, is presented as “the largest public-private partnership in progress in Africa in the field of energy”. From the first quarter of 2024, this infrastructure will inject an additional 420 MW into the Cameroonian electricity network, thus boosting current production capacity by 30% in one go.