Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Station

Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Station is a planned 143 megawatts (192,000 hp) hydroelectric power station in Sierra Leone. The power plant is under development by a consortium of renewable energy IPPs and investors, led by Joule Africa Limited. The energy generated here will be sold to Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), the electricity utility company of Sierra Leone, under a 25-year power purchase agreement.[1]

Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Station
Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Sierra Leone
Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Station
Map of Sierra Leone showing the location of Bumbuna II Dam
CountrySierra Leone
LocationBumbuna, Tonkolili District, Northern Province
Coordinates09°04′19″N 11°43′21″W
StatusProposed
Construction costUS$750 million
Owner(s)Joule Africa Limited
Operator(s)Joule Africa Limited
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsSeli River
Reservoir
Normal elevation300 m (980 ft)
Operator(s)Seli Hydropower Company
Commission date2026 Expected
TypeRun-of-the-river
Installed capacity143 MW (192,000 hp)

Location

The power station would be located across the Seli River (Rokel River), outside the town of Bumbuna, in Tonkolili District, in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. This location is approximately 7.3 kilometres (5 mi), by road, northeast of downtown Bumbuna, adjacent to the 50 megawatt Bumbuna I Hydroelectric Power Station.[2] Bumbuna is located approximately 48 kilometres (30 mi) by road northeast of the city of Magburaka, the district capital.[3] This is about 232 kilometres (144 mi) by road, northeast of Freetown, the county's capital and largest city.[4] Bumbuna II will be an extension of Bumbuna I,[5] with similar geographical coordinates at 9°04'19.0"N, 11°43'21.0"W (Latitude:09.071944; Longitude:-11.722500).[6]

Overview

Bumbuna I Hydropower Station is a 50 megawatt installation owned by the government of Sierra Leone. The power station which cost US$327 million to build, was commissioned in 2009. However its output is not enough to meet the country's electricity needs.[5][7]

The new plan is to build a new power station (Bumbuna II), with capacity of 143 megawatts, adjacent to the first one with capacity of 50 megawatts (Bumbuna I). This involves expansion of the Bumbuna I Dam and the construction of a new dam at Yiben, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) upstream of the Bumbuna I Dam.[5][7][8]

At Bumbuna, a new intake channel will be built approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) upstream of the existing dam. Two Francis-type turbines each rated at 42.15 megawatts and one 3.7 megawatts turbine will be installed here for a total of 88 megawatts in new capacity.[5]

At Yiben, the dam there will measure 83 metres (272 ft) in height and will be 730 metres (2,400 ft) wide. It will be a "roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam", creating a lake with a surface area measuring 115 square kilometres (44 sq mi). The powerhouse at Yiben will have two Francis turbines each rated at 27.7 megawatts installed for a total of 55.4 megawatts in new capacity.[5]

Ownership

Bumbuna II, with new generation capacity of 143.4 megawatts, is owned and will be developed, operated and maintained by Seli Hydropower Limited (SHPL). SHPL is a joint venture between Joule Africa, a renewable energy IPP headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Energy Services Company (ESCO), based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.[5]

Construction, funding and timeline

The construction budget is quoted at US$750 million. Funding sources include (a) the African Development Bank (AfDB) (b) the European Commission (EC), through the Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI) (c) Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and (d) Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).[5]

Other considerations

The 88 megawatts generated at Bumbuna II, will be evacuated via a new 225kV double-circuit transmission line to a substation located about 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-west of the Bumbuna II powerhouse. The 55.4 megawatts generated at Yiben will be transferred to Bumbuna II, thorough a new single-circuit transmission line measuring approximately 34 kilometres (21 mi).[5]

The 50 megawatts generated at Bumbuna I is transferred to Freetown via a 161kV single-circuit transmission line that measures about 200 kilometres (124 mi). It enters the national grid there.[5]

See also

References
  1. Boris Ngounou (23 January 2019). "Sierra Leone: Electrifi contributes $3.5 million for Bumbuna II hydroelectric project". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  2. Google (24 August 2021). "Road Distance Between Downtown Bumbuna And Bumbuna I Hydroelectric Power Station With Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  3. Google (24 August 2021). "Road Distance Between Bumbuna, Sierra Leone And Magburaka, Sierra Leone With Interactive Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  4. Google (24 August 2021). "Road Distance Between Bumbuna, Sierra Leone And Freetown, Sierra Lone With Interactive Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  5. NS Energy (2019). "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Plant: Bumbuna phase two details". NSEnergyBusiness.com. United Kingdom. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  6. Google (24 August 2021). "Location of Bumbuna I And Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Stations" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  7. InfraCo Africa (August 2021). "Sierra Leone: Bumbuna Hydro II". InfraCoAfrica.com. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  8. Google (24 August 2021). "Location of Yiben, Koinadugu District, Northern Province, Sierra Leone" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.