WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

1.2.2 Cameroon
Matty Fombong, Rural World Resources International,
Cameroon
Key facts
Population 20,129,878 1
Area 475,650 km 2
Climate The climate varies with the terrain,
from tropical along coast to semiarid
and hot in north.
Topography The southern forests are of dense
vegetation, with abundant rainfall
resulting in a vast river network. The
high plateaus of the west form an
area of rich volcanic soil, which
favours agriculture. Savannah and
steppe in the north, where cattle
breeding predominates. In the
southwest, Cameroon’s maritime
border with the Atlantic Ocean is
about 420 km.
Rain Pattern Annual rainfall is highest in the
coastal and mountainous regions.
Main wet season (May to
November) for the country comes
when the West African monsoon
wind blows from the south-west,
bringing moist air from the ocean.
The wettest regions receive more
than 400 mm per month of rainfall,
but the semi-arid northern regions
receive less than 100 mm per
month. The southern plateau region
has two shorter rainy seasons (May
to June, October to November). 2
Electricity sector overview
In 2010, grid electricity access was approximately 15
per cent in rural areas and 50 per cent in urban areas,
while the percentage of households with electricity
was 32 per cent. The country’s current 32 per cent
electrification remains low and is a handicap to the
production of goods and services. In rural areas, the
rate is only about 3.5 per cent. The government’s
objective is to ramp up the country’s electrification
rate to over 48 per cent and the rural electrification
rate to over 20 per cent by 2020.
Natural gas
Oil sources
Hydropower
8.9%
15.5%
75.4%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Cameroon
Source: Trading Economics 3
Although Cameroon is an oil-producing country and
has large gas reserves, extraction is limited.
Cameroon's energy balance shows a clear
predominance of renewable energy sources,
particularly biomass. In 2010, the total installed
electricity capacity was 816 MW (thermal: 12 per cent,
hydro: 88 per cent). Figure 1 gives on overview of the
electricity generation mix.
The electricity grid (1,800 km of high voltage [90KV]
and 12,000 km of medium voltage [30KV] lines)
primarily runs between the capital, Yaoundé and the
major port city of Douala. Much of the North of the
country is yet to be connected to the grid. The sole
transmission and distribution system is owned by the
vertically integrated power utility American Electricity
Supply-Sonel (AES-Sonel). Cameroon is also interconnected
to its neighbouring countries, i.e. with
Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Chad.
To stem power cuts, and seasonal load shedding a
national electricity development programme has been
developed, targeting mainly the construction of large
hydropower projects. Cameroon hopes to triple
electricity output to 3,000 MW by 2020 through a
series of hydro and thermal generation projects.
Private producers may now obtain licence and
concession agreements to generate electricity from
small hydropower resources and then sell directly to
consumers in non-grid localities or sell to AES-Sonel
where it already has installations.
From 2011 to 2013 a project including the Rural
Energy Agency aims to upgrade power supply in terms
of quality in two localities already electrified by the
AES-Sonel utility, with a diesel generator set by means
of hydropower injection. This should be the first
example for a rural electrification project in the
country carried out by an investor from the private
sector within the existing regulatory framework. 4
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
The hydropower types in Cameroon are not welldefined.
Cameroon has the second largest
hydropower potential in sub-Saharan Africa (table).
Total potential is estimated about 20-23 GW, with a
production potential of 103 TWh per year (figure 2).
There are three main hydro facilities with a total
installed capacity of 735 MW.
SHP installed capacity
SHP potential
0 MW
22 MW
0 5 10 15 20 25
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Cameroon
Mini- and micro-hydro projects were first developed
during the colonial period. They fell into disrepair
shortly after independence due to lack of spare parts
and technical know-how. The power stations were
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