The three-nation Senegal River development organization has awarded a contract to SinoHydro Corp. Ltd. of China to build the 59-MW Felou hydroelectric project on the Senegal River in Mali.
A unit of the Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Senegal (OMVS) awarded the 125.7 million euro (US$162 million) contract to SinoHydro for study, manufacture, supply, civil construction, assembly, testing, start-up, and on-site assistance to OMVS during the project’s guarantee period.
SinoHydro was one of two bidders for the work. (HNN 12/14/06) The other bidder was Alstom Hydro France with an offer totaling 135.9 million euros (US$175.2 million).
The work is to require 38 months. The implementing agency is OMVS’ Societe de Gestion de l’Energie de Manantalie (SOGEM).
Felou is to have three bulb or Kaplan turbines designed for a flow of 500 cubic meters per second and a head of 14.8 meters. It is to include a 630-meter diversion channel on the left bank of the river and a three-kilometer, 225-kilovolt transmission line to Kayes station.
OMVS awarded a contract to Electricite de France in 2006 to provide technical assistance for the first phase of Felou, one of several hydro projects planned for the Senegal River by OMVS. The agency also invited consultants to provide technical assistance to the project in 2008. (HNN 7/14/08)
The European Investment Bank approved 11 million euros (US$13.9 million) in funding for Felou in 2006. The World Bank also approved US$75 million in credits to OMVS members Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal to help finance construction of Felou.
