(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon’s power utility Eneo reported that the electricity supply in the country’s northern regions (Adamaoua, North, and Far North) has remained stable in the first half of 2024, despite a 10% increase in demand on the Northern Interconnected Network (RIN), which serves these areas.
The company stated that the higher demand was largely due to new industrial projects, including the new cement production line at Cimenteries du Cameroun (Cimencam) in Figuil, North Region. Meanwhile, stability was achieved thanks to “good hydraulic conditions in 2023 in the Benue River basin, which supports the Lagdo Dam, and the availability of solar and thermal power plants.”
From January to June 2024, despite sediment buildup and aging infrastructure, the Lagdo Dam’s 75 MW power plant increased its production due to favorable rainfall. The plant, which had often produced less than 30 MW in recent years, saw significant improvement. Additionally, two new solar plants with a combined capacity of 30 MW were added in Maroua (Far North) and Guider (North).
In September 2023, Cameroonian Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, celebrated the opening of the Maroua (15 MW) and Guider (15 MW) solar plants. Built by the Norwegian independent power producer Scatec, these plants have helped Cameroon join the ranks of major solar energy producers in Africa, alongside South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Namibia, Tunisia, and Uganda. Eneo notes that these new solar plants had already ended power outages due to production shortfalls in the RIN during the first quarter of 2023, a significant milestone after three years.
On June 5, 2024, Eneo signed a new contract with Release, a subsidiary of Scatec, to expand the two solar plants. The agreement aims to nearly double their capacity to about 60 MW. This expansion, funded by a loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank subsidiary, is expected to begin operating gradually from July 2025.
As of June 30, 2024, the three northern regions account for 11% of Eneo’s more than 2 million active customers in Cameroon, which translates to around 220,000 households and businesses. These regions host important production units, such as Société de Développement du Coton (Sodecoton), which supports over 200,000 cotton producers; Société d’Expansion et de Modernisation de la Riziculture de Yagoua (Semry), the top rice producer in Cameroon; and Cimencam. Cimencam, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim Maroc Afrique (LHMA), has recently launched a new 50 billion CFA franc cement production line in Figuil.
