Nangbeto Dam Explained

Nangbeto Dam
Location Map:Togo
Coordinates:7.4237°N 1.435°W
Country:Togo
Location:Plateaux Region
Purpose:Power, irrigation, fisheries
Status:O
Construction Began:1984
Opening:1987
Cost:US$98.22 million
Dam Length:443m (1,453feet)
Dam Height:52m (171feet)
Res Capacity Total:1710e6m3
Plant Commission:1987
Plant Turbines:2 x 32.8MW Kaplan-type
Plant Capacity:65.6MW

The Nangbeto Dam is an embankment dam on the Mono River in the Plateaux Region of Togo. It was constructed between 1984 and 1987 for the purpose of providing hydroelectric power to both Togo and Benin as well as creating fisheries and supplying water for irrigation. The dam's power station was commissioned in June 1987. The project was financed by the World Bank and African Development Bank at a cost of US$98.22 million.[1] [2] [3]

The objectives of the dam were to satisfy the medium-term requirements of Benin and Togo for power, and to provide a large water reserve, amounting to 1.7 billion cubic metres. It was expected that 1000 to 1500 tonnes of fish would be produced each year and that 43,000 hectares of land would be irrigated. Evaluation of the project six years later showed that the project had been completed on time and on budget to a satisfactory standard. The project was a good example of cooperation between the two countries. The power generation objective was satisfied but the fish development scheme had failed and the irrigation project was proceeding at a slower rate than expected. However, initial results of the cultivation of rice on the irrigated land were encouraging.[4]

The Nangbeto Dam serves part of Togo's needs for electricity and is subject to interruptions in supply when the water level is low, which may happen for periods of several months. As a result, a further dam on the Mono River further downstream at Adjaralla is being constructed, starting in 2016.[5] The fish production scheme involved in this project and other environmental issues are being planned at an earlier stage in its development.[4]

Rehabilitation

In 2017, Communauté Electrique du Bénin, the electric grid operator in Togo and Benin advertised for a company to undertake the rehabilitation of this power station which had not undergone any major overhaul since commercial commissioning in 1987.[6]

Voith Hydro, a German manufacturer and installer of hydromechanical and electricity hardware was selected to rehabilitate and modernize the two 32.5 megawatt turbines. The contractor will work on one generator at a time, in order to maintain output from the turbine that is not under repair/rehabilitation. The work expected to last until the fourth quarter of 2022, cost US$25 million.[7] [8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nangbeto Hydroelectric Power Plant Togo. Global Energy Observatory . 25 March 2014.
  2. Web site: Nangbeto Hydroelectric Dam Project . African Development Bank. 25 March 2014.
  3. Web site: Hydroelectric Power Plants in West Africa . Indust Cards . 25 March 2014 . dead . http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090719000622/http://www.industcards.com/hydro%2Dafrica%2Dw.htm . 19 July 2009 .
  4. Web site: Multinational: Nangbeto Hydroelectric Dam (Benin/Togo) . 15 January 2014 . African Development Bank Group . 21 November 2016.
  5. Web site: Togo . United Nations Environment Programme: Dams and Development Project . 21 November 2016 . 21 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161121233158/http://www.unep.org/dams/documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=690 . dead .
  6. Web site: Africa-Energy.com . 23 November 2017 . Benin: Prequalification bids sought for Nangbeto rehabilitation . African Energy Newsletter . 10 May 2022 . Hastings, United Kingdom.
  7. Web site: Togo: Voith Hydro to rehabilitate Nangbeto hydroelectric power plant . Afrik21.africa . 19 February 2019 . Jean Marie Takouleu . 10 May 2022 . Paris, France.
  8. Web site: Voith wins modernization order for 65-MW Nangbeto hydropower plant . HydroReview.com . 13 February 2019 . Hydro Review . 10 May 2022.