Top 5 Hydropower Projects in Africa
With a booming population and low access to power rates, providing power to all Africans is critical. Hydropower still provides the lowest Levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Therefore, the African continent is investing more than $83 billion in Hydropower projects.
The average access to power rate in Sub-Sahara Africa is less than 50 per cent. As part of the UN sustainable goal development program, there is a drive across the continent to provide access to power for all its people.
Although Hydropower requires significant capital upfront, it still has the lowest Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) rate. There are currently more than $83 billion of active Hydropower projects across the African continent. Of the $83 billion, 55 per cent or $45.5 billion is under construction.
The Top 5 Hydropower projects in Africa are:
Mambilla Hydropower Projects
Mambilla hydropower project is on the Dongo river in Nigeria and will have an installed capacity of 3.05 gigawatts. This development includes 4 dams on the Dongo river.
Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Dam
Batoka Gorge Hydro Electricity Scheme is on the Zambesi river and will have an installed capacity of 2.4 gigawatts. The project is on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, approximately 54km downstream of the Victoria Waterfall.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam is on the Nile River. The dam has been under construction for a number of years and once operational, will be the largest hydroelectric power plant on the African continent. It will have an installed capacity of 6.4 gigawatts.
Caculo Cabaca Hydroelectric Dam
The Caculo Cabaça Dam is located in the Kwanza Province in Angola. It will have an installed capacity of 2.2 gigawatts and once completed it will be the largest hydropower plant in Angola.
Rufji Hydropower Dam
The Rufji Hydropower Dam in Tanzania will have an installed capacity of 2.1 gigawatts once completed.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also want to read “Over $57 billion of active water and hydro projects in Sub-Sahara Africa“.
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