Coordinates: 9°4′17.38″N 11°43′22.43″W / 9.0714944°N 11.7228972°W / 9.0714944; -11.7228972

Bumbuna Dam

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Bumbuna Dam
Bumbuna Dam is located in Sierra Leone
Bumbuna Dam
Location of Bumbuna Dam in Sierra Leone
CountrySierra Leone
LocationBumbuna
Coordinates9°4′17.38″N 11°43′22.43″W / 9.0714944°N 11.7228972°W / 9.0714944; -11.7228972
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Construction began1979
Opening date2009
Construction costUS$327 million
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, concrete-face rock-fill
ImpoundsSeli River
Height88 m (289 ft)
Length440 m (1,440 ft)
Spillway typeBell-mouth
Reservoir
Total capacity445×10^6 m3 (361,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area3,920 km2 (1,510 sq mi)
Surface area21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)
Commission date2009
Turbines2 x 25 MW (34,000 hp) Francis-type
Installed capacity50 MW (67,000 hp)
Website
https://web.archive.org/web/20140221061321/http://www.bumbuna.sl/

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]

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

References

  1. ^ a b c Fid Thompson (9 February 2010). "Sierra Leone's Hydro-Power Dam Lighting Up Freetown". Voice of America.
  2. ^ a b c "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Plant". Salini Impregilo.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Station, Tonkolili District, West Africa, Sierra Leone". power-technology.com.
  4. ^ a b "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Station, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone". renewable-technology.com.
  5. ^ "Sierra Leone (11/15/11)". United States Department of State.
  6. ^ Dr. Robert Zwahlen (26 January 2005). "Bumbuna Hydropower Project: Resettlement Action Plan for the Reservoir and Dam Area" (PDF). p. I.
  7. ^ Kemo Cham (25 February 2013). "Why Sierra Leone's energy crisis just about got worse". africareview.com.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Hydroelectric Plants in Africa - Guinea, Liberia & Sierra Leone". IndustCards. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Project Completion Report" (PDF). Bumbuna Hydro Electric Environmental And Social Management Project. Retrieved 25 March 2014.[dead link]
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