A consortium led by the French engineering group VINCI has started building the 128 MW Sambangalou hydropower project located near Kédougou, in the south-east of Senegal, close to the Guinean border. Construction is expected to last 4 years. The consortium comprises VINCI (75% of the consortium) and the Austrian turbine manufacturer Andritz (25%).
The consortium secured the contract from the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation, which comprises The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, in December 2020. The electricity generated by the power plant will be injected into the grid of the four countries.
Hydropower accounts for 5% of Senegal’s installed capacity, with 75 MW, and 5% of the power mix (2021).