Chapter 2. Current Status of Energy in Cameroon
2.3 Analysis on Energy Supply and Demand System
2.3.3 Status of the Power Generation Sector and RE
[Figure 2-12] Yearly trends in LPG accessibility (%, 2001, 2007 and 2014)
Source: MINEE (2015, p. 98)
❙ Table 2-18 ❙ Status of installed capacity for generation by source
(unit: MW)
Source: MINEE (2015, pp. 48)
Three hydro generation projects are being constructed, representing 256 MW of new generation capacity. Feasibility studies are being conducted for four additional hydropower projects prior to construction, representing a further 837 MW of generation capacity. On completion of the projects, a total of 1,093 MW of new capacity will enter the grid, representing a 50% increase over the current generation capacity.
❙ Table 2-19 ❙ Status of current hydropower projects in Cameroon
(Unit: MW)
Source: MINEE (2015, pp. 42–44)
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Public
Hydro 719.0 719.0 719.0 719.0 723.0 732.2 732.2 732.2 732.2 Thermal 205.9 202.5 217.9 305.6 286.7 284.5 384.6 600.6 621.6 Subtotal 924.9 921.5 936.9 1,024.6 1,009.7 1,016.7 1,116.8 1,332.8 1,353.8
Private
Thermal 352.6 413.2 439.8 561.2 599.5 710.2 772.2 854.6 971.1 Renewable 0.0006 - - 0.0956 0.0966 0.0966 0.0984 0.0984 2.5484
Solar - - - - - - - - 2.45
Wind - - - 0.0016 0.0026 0.0026 0.0044 0.0044 0.0044
Small hydro - - - 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.94
Biomass - - - - - - - - -
Subtotal 352.6 413.2 439.8 561.3 599.6 710.3 772.3 854.7 973.6 Total
generation capacity
1,277.5 1,334.7 1,376.7 1,585.9 1,609.3 1,727.0 1,889.1 2,187.5 2,327.4
Project Total capacity Notes
Lom Pangar 30 90% complete as at December 2015
Mekin 15 80% complete as at December 2015
Membe’ele 211 70% complete as at December 2015
Nachtigal 420 Under feasibility study as at December 2015 Song Dong 270 Under feasibility study as at December 2015 Bini to Warak 75 Under feasibility study as at December 2015
Menchum 72 Under feasibility study as at December 2015
Since 2006, there have been annual increases of 6.2% in the volume of electricity generation in Cameroon. The generation volume of RE excluding hydropower was extremely low at 0.06% of the total generation volume, but reached 57.6% including hydropower in 2014. As a reference point, power consumption has increased 6.6% annually from 4,222.02 GWh in 2006 to 6,875.83 GWh in 2014 in Cameroon. This is below the 7.8% annual increase in generation capacity; however, it is slightly higher than the 6.2% annual increase of generation volume. As previously mentioned, consumption is led by the industrial sector, accounting for more than 50% of the total generation volume. However, consumption has declined in this sector from 2009 to 2012, but, consumption in the industrial sector increases rapidly, as the power supply was increased by the 100 MW PTU (Thermal Emergency Program) plant and the 216 MB Kribi natural gas-fired power plant becoming operational in 2012 and in 2013, respectively.
Since 2006, the power use by the household and public service sectors has increased linearly (MINEE, 2015, p. 69).
❙ Table 2-20 ❙ Electricity generation by source
(unit: GWh)
Source: MINEE (2015, p. 51)
The proportions of households that had access to electricity in 2001 and 2007 were 46.1% and 48.2%, respectively, obviously below 50% of total households. Accordingly, efforts to expand the electrical grid across the entire country resulted in a rise to 62.1% in 2014. In the urban regions, this figure increased by
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Public
Hydro 3,891.9 3,847.2 4,232.5 4,016.4 4,260.2 4,385.4 4,256.1 4,372.7 4,425.1 Thermal 255.25 409.3 270.3 480.9 564.4 599.5 697.5 1,034.1 1,659.6 Subtotal 4,147.2 4,256.5 4,502.8 4,497.2 4,824.6 4,984.9 4,953.6 5,406.7 6,084.7
Private
Thermal 570.2 708.7 702.5 1,240.4 1,071.7 1,027 911.7 1,241.6 1,599.05 Renewable 22.005 24.505 28.705 26.69 16.899 25.599 29.015 6.615 4.665
Solar - - - - - - - - 4.05
Wind 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.014 0.023 0.023 0.039 0.039 0.039
Small hydro - - - 0.576 0.576 0.576 0.576 0.576 0.576
Biomass 22.0 24.5 28.7 26.1 16.3 25.0 28.4 6.0 -
Subtotal 592.2 733.2 731.2 1,267.1 1,088.6 1,052.6 940.7 1,248.2 1,603.7 Total
generation 4,739.4 4,989.7 5,234.0 5,764.3 5,913.2 6,037.5 5,894.3 6,654.9 7,688.4
❙ Table 2-21 ❙ Proportion of households with access to electricity (2001 and 2007, %)
Source: MINEE (2014, p. 23)
[Figure 2-13] Changes in power accessibility by residence for households (%)
Source: MINEE (2015, p. 74)
Progressive tariff for electricity is being applied in Cameroon within the limits set by the Energy of Cameroon (ENEO), which is a main electricity company of the country. Customers who use up to 110 kWh per month are charged 50 CFA F/kWh and if the limit is exceeded, the charge increases depending on the
Type 2001 2007
Rural 23.4 23.4
Urban 88.2 90.4
Littoral 20.4 25.5
Including Duala 55.7 46.7
Adamawa 22.4 23.6
Est 7.6 11.8
Extreme-Nord 59.7 67.2
Nord 14.7 16.6
Nord-Ouest 32.0 31
Ouest 50.3 56.6
Sud 38.0 72.1
Sud-Ouest 57.2 36.4
Cameroon 46.1 48.2
consumption. Low-voltage consumers, such as residential and small industrial consumers, benefit from consumer utility subsidies. As indicated by the Director of MINEE during the European Union (EU)- Cameroon workshop held in April 2016, the price of electricity in Cameroon was approximately 15 cent per kWh.
❙ Table 2-22 ❙ Cameroon electricity tariff
Division Content
Low- voltage consumer
Home and Residential
① ~110 kWh: 50 CFA F/kWh
② 111~400 kWh: 79 CFA F/kWh
③ 401~800 kWh: 94 CFA F/kWh
④ 801~2,000 kWh: 99 CFA F/kWh Non-residential
① ~110 kWh: 84 CFA F/kWh
② 111~400 kWh: 92 CFA F/kWh
③ 401~1,000 kWh: 99 CFA F/kWh Automatic circuit
breaker and electricity meter renewal/
maintenance
Abolition of different costs for renewal/repair of automatic circuit breaker and electricity meter
Public lighting 66 CFA F/kWh Sources: MINEE (2016)
2.3.3.2 Status of RE
In previous sections, the state of RE generation and volume has been explored pertinent to the entire power generation sector. Realistically, the government of Cameroon regards RE as a valuable resource, able to help solve the challenges of energy shortfall in the country. For example, solar energy is used in urban regions for street lights and household solar PV generation systems. Distributed generation sources from solar PV generators are used in isolated rural villages, which are difficult to connect to the national electrical grid. In addition, deploying small hydropower and biogas is regarded as a solution to the national energy-shortage problems (MINEE, 2015, p. 103).
Solar energy has been utilized in public organizations, such as airports, railways, and by the defense sector for a long time. As an example, Sangmélima city hall receives a stable power supply through non- utility power generation using 96 solar panels. In addition, full advantage is taken of the natural light
There are RE development projects currently known or under planning.22 A total of 36 projects are being monitored by the Renewable Energy Division of MINEE in 2015. Of these, 21 projects involve the development of solar energy. The other projects are as follows: hydropower (five projects); cogeneration/
heat (one project); biomass (four projects); gas (one project); geothermal energy (one project); waste (two projects); wind (one project).
The total installed capacity of thirteen planned solar PV projects, which only include projects with installed capacities determined, is about 2,246.2 MW. Other four projects plans to deploy solar PV stations in 1,506 localities. One project plans to install solar street lamps in 29 communities and town halls in the 10 regions, and one project plans to deploy solar PV kits with capacities from 80 to 241 Wp.
There are five small hydropower plant projects planned until 2015, of which three projects have their planned installed capacities, whose sum is total 425 MW. There are four biomass power plant projects, of which only one has the specified installed capacity of 60 MW. Only one wind power project is planned until 2015, whose installed capacity is 42 MW, and can be expanded to 84 MW in future. One geothermal plant is being pursued with an installed capacity of 5 MW (expandable to 100 MW). One of total two planned waste-to-energy plants is specified with installed capacity of 10 MW. If all planned RE projects are implemented, then the total installed capacities of RE facilities would reach at least 2,788 MW.
22 RE projects planned until 2015 were a summary of planned projects provided in MINEE (2016b).
❙ Table 2-23 ❙ Summary of RE projects under planning, 2015
Source: Renewable Energies Branch
Company name Description of the project Location / geographical area
1. Huawei Project to electrify 1,000 localities National territory
2. Fides Gestion SARL Project for the construction of photovoltaic parks and related works for the
generation of electricity for a total installed capacity of 500 MW National territory
3. Green Quest Solution Ltd Construction project for 500 MW Northern Region
4. JP International Build Operate and Tranfert (BOT) Far North Region (Maroua)
5. Lightning Africa International Co. Ltd Public lighting by solar street lamps in some of the chief places of administrative
units of Cameroon 29 communes and town halls in the 10
regions
6. Agrennenergy Ltd. Installation for a power of 2.66 MW Some localities in the Far North region
7. Satarem AG Solar park project with a capacity of 100 MW Adamaoua Region
8. Capony Construction of 100 photovoltaic power stations
Eastern Region, Bakasi Islands, South West Region and extendable to other regions
9. Soltrec Project to build 56 solar PV plants National territory
10. JP Energy Environment (JPEE) Project of construction of solar parks with a total capacity of 10 MW Central Region
11. Cameroon Solar Energy Development of solar parks with a capacity of 3.2 MW Adamaoua Region
12. GSC Energy (PTY) Ltd Development of 500 MW power plant in BOT mode Northern Regions
13. Joule Africa Ltd 100 MW production project, in BOT mode Regions of Adamaoua (Ngaoundéré) &
East (Bertoua) 14. Ratidzo Solution & project Ltd Development of solar parks with a capacity of 30 MW. In BOT mode Littoral and West Regions
15. The Solar Consortium - Capital Tree Development of solar PV plants with a total capacity of 300 KW Regions of Adamaoua, North, Far North, Central and South West
16. Keylon Solar Energy Inc. Development of solar parks with a capacity of 100 MW Coastal, Southwestern and Northwest Regions
17. Rural Energy Foundation (FRES) Promotion of solar energy by installation of photovoltaic kits (capacity from 80 to 240
Wp) Adamaoua, Central, Northwest, West
and South Regions
18. Bavieri Costruzioni Sarl Solar park project with a capacity of 300 MW Regions of the Littoral, Adamaoua, East and North
19. Hoermann-Barkas Metallbau Electrification of 350 localities by installation of photovoltaic systems National territory 20. Kunsong Consulting Company Development of a solar thermal park with a capacity of 100 MW South West and North 21. China Gezhouba International
Engineering Co. Ltd Hydropower dam project at the Mouila Mogue site on the Nyong River 22. Hydropower Invest Development of small hydropower stations with a capacity of 1 to 5 MW each, for a
cumulative power of 150 MW
Adamaoua, North-West, Coastal and Southwest Regions
23. TBEA Co. Ltd Construction of a small hydropower plant Ndokayo and Colomines Stes
24. Proposed construction of a 75 MW small hydropower plant Specify
25. Turcam Sarl Project for the construction of small hydropower and solar PV plants with a total
capacity of 200 MW Southern Region
26. Millenium Green Group Holding, LLC Project to produce electricity from biomass and solar energy Central, Coast, South, Adamaoua, East, West and South-West
27. The Africa-Canada Business Regrouping (REAC)
Development, implementation and follow-up of an integrated pilot project for the conversion of biomass for energy purposes / implementation of an abbreviated
renewable energy industrial program (PIER) Specify
28. Ratidzo Solution & project Ltd Project to produce 60 MW of electricity from biomass
(Organic waste, wood waste, etc.), in BOT mode Littoral and West Regions 29. Solar ERA Cameroon Ltd Project to produce 1 to 5 MW of electricity from
Biomass (organic waste, wood waste, etc.) South-West Region
30. Copi Developpement Ltd Development of a geothermal power plant with a capacity of 5MW (expandable to
100 MW) Specify
31. CGC Overseas Construction Group
Co. Ltd Design and construction of a wind power plant with an installed capacity of 42 MW
(extensible to 84 MW) Western Region (Bamboutos)
32. The Community Interest Group - GIC –
FAUCA Cogeneration heat and power project Ngoro, Libongo / Bella, Pella / Nsem,
Mfou / Nsimalen, Lomié 33. CGC Overseas Construction Group
Co. Ltd Project to install a gas plant Specify
34. Satarem AG Project to construct plants for the treatment and conversion of household, industrial
and hospital wastes / electricity transformation / rehabilitation of landfills Yaoundé, Douala and Garoua 35. Waste Transformers, Aquila Beheer,
B.V., Fins0Wins ASBL and Hemle Sarl Waste transformation into energy, production of 10 MW in the pilot phase Specify