The Bumbuna Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Seli River near Bumbuna in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone,[1] and 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the capital of Freetown, the main consumer.[2] The country's first hydroelectric dam, it supports a 50-megawatt (67,000 hp) power station.[1]
Bumbuna Dam | |
---|---|
Country | Sierra Leone |
Location | Bumbuna |
Coordinates | 9°4′17.38″N 11°43′22.43″W / 9.0714944°N 11.7228972°W |
Purpose | Power |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1979 |
Opening date | 2009 |
Construction cost | US$327 million |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill |
Impounds | Seli River |
Height | 88 m (289 ft) |
Length | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
Spillway type | Bell-mouth |
Reservoir | |
Total capacity | 445×10 6 m3 (361,000 acre⋅ft) |
Catchment area | 3,920 km2 (1,510 sq mi) |
Surface area | 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) |
Commission date | 2009 |
Turbines | 2 x 25 MW (34,000 hp) Francis-type |
Installed capacity | 50 MW (67,000 hp) |
Website https://web.archive.org/web/20140221061321/http://www.bumbuna.sl/ |
The site for the dam at Bumbuna Falls was first identified in 1971, and construction was begun in 1975.[3] Work was halted in May 1997, about 85% completed, due to the Sierra Leone Civil War, and did not restart until 2005.[3][4] The project was completed and went online in 2009.[5] Nearly a third of the dam's US$327 million cost ($103 million) was supplied by the African Development Bank.[3] A 26 January 2005 report noted that 33 villages would be affected by the dam, although only one (of 16 households and 135 people) would require resettlement.[6]
The dam has a maximum height of 87 metres (285 ft), a length of 400 metres (1,300 ft) at the crest and a volume of 2,500,000 cubic metres (88,000,000 cu ft).[2] The volume of the reservoir created is 410,000,000 cubic metres (1.4×1010 cu ft),[2] 428,000,000 cubic metres (1.51×1010 cu ft)[1] or 480,000,000 cubic metres (1.7×1010 cu ft).[4] There are two Francis turbines, each rated for 25 megawatts (34,000 hp).[3]
After completion, the project has been plagued with problems, and barely produces 10 megawatts (13,000 hp)[7] or 25 megawatts (34,000 hp)[8] as of 2013.
A second phase is planned, for a 110-megawatt (150,000 hp) power station.[9][10] In June 2011, the government announced it had awarded the $750 million Phase II project to Joule Africa, a UK-based company.[8] This will entail a second dam and plant.[8] Construction was set to begin in 2014 and continue on until at least 2017.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Fid Thompson (9 February 2010). "Sierra Leone's Hydro-Power Dam Lighting Up Freetown". Voice of America.
- ^ a b c "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Plant". Salini Impregilo.
- ^ a b c d "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Station, Tonkolili District, West Africa, Sierra Leone". power-technology.com.
- ^ a b "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Station, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone". renewable-technology.com.
- ^ "Sierra Leone (11/15/11)". United States Department of State.
- ^ Dr. Robert Zwahlen (26 January 2005). "Bumbuna Hydropower Project: Resettlement Action Plan for the Reservoir and Dam Area" (PDF). p. I.
- ^ Kemo Cham (25 February 2013). "Why Sierra Leone's energy crisis just about got worse". africareview.com.
- ^ a b c d Kimberly S. Johnson (11 September 2013). "Sierra Leone's private sector rushes to fill the void as dam disappoints". The Africa Report.
- ^ "Hydroelectric Plants in Africa - Guinea, Liberia & Sierra Leone". IndustCards. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Project Completion Report" (PDF). Bumbuna Hydro Electric Environmental And Social Management Project. Retrieved 25 March 2014.[dead link ]