Cameroon to export 35 MW power to Chad by 2014

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon will export 35 megawatts of power from hydroelectric dams to Chad by 2014 under a plan to join up the two countries' power grids, Cameroon's government said on Thursday.

The central African nations signed an interconnection accord in 2007 and agreed at a follow-up meeting this month that Cameroon, a country with huge hydropower potential, would provide power to its landlocked, mostly arid northern neighbour.

The statement said that 10 MW would in future be exported from the Lagdo dam, which oil giant Nigeria proposed this month it would help renovate under a deal which would also involve Cameroon exporting 30 MW of power from Lagdo to Nigeria.

The Chinese-built dam has a generating capacity of 84 MW, but some of its turbines are not working and the reservoir has partially silted up since it was built more than a quarter of a century ago, reducing its water volume by 23 percent.

"After the rehabilitation planned by 2011, and taking account of the growth in domestic demand, Cameroon will ensure a guaranteed output of 10 MW to Chad," Thursday's statement said.

Another 25 MW would be exported to Chad from a new plant to be built by 2014 at Warak, on the Bini river, it said. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency paid $662,000 last year for a feasibility study to build a 75 MW hydro dam at Warak.

Chad and Cameroon would contribute to the costs of both projects, the statement said, without giving figures.

Cameroon, located largely in the humid forest belt of central Africa, is trying to harness more of its vast hydropower potential to drive industrial development, including through power-hungry processes like aluminium smelting.