March 2012: Located on the River Lom, Cameroon’s Eastern Region, the Lom Pangar Hydropower Project (LPHP) will generate an additional 150 megawatts (MW) of hydropower for rural electrification, and will reduce seasonal electricity reliability.

According to the World Bank, the LPHP “is a multi-sectoral project that spans the energy, water resources, and natural resources management sectors.” Through water storage, the project expects to guarantee water flow to the Sanaga River from 720 to 1,040 cubic meters per second throughout the year. As a consequence, the capacity of the hydropower plants (Edea and Song Loulou) will be increased by 120 MW, benefiting up to 5 million people. Furthermore, a new 30 MW hydropower plant will be built to serve the region.

Cameroon’s hydropower potential is the third largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, totaling approximately 12,000MW. The Sanaga River basin represents almost half of the unexplored potential, but current installed capacity lies at only 933MW. The project is classified as Category A in the World’s Bank safeguard policy on Environmental Assessment, which focuses on the significant environmental issues, and expects to support economic development in Cameroon by improving its electricity supply.

Beyond the World Bank, partners include: the African Development Bank, the Agence France de Développement, the Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC), and the European Investment Bank. The global cost for the LPHP is estimated at US$393 million. [Press release] [Project fact sheet] [Further project documents] [World Bank Environmental Assessment Criteria]