French construction firm Vinci SA kicked off construction works on the Sambangalou Hydroelectric Power Station in Senegal on Monday, with a view to delivering accessible energy and clean water supply to local communities, as well as irrigating 90,000 hectares of farmland in the region.
Representing a total investment of over $415 million, the hydroelectric dam will have an installed power generation capacity of 128 MW and a storage capacity of four billion cubic meters.
In terms of its local content component, construction of the hydroelectric power project will create 1,200 jobs and is expected to be completed by 2027.
Senegal is one of the continent’s leaders when it comes to renewable energy, holding sizable solar and wind power potential and having inaugurated the largest solar power plant in West Africa – Senergy 2 – as well as West Africa’s largest wind farm at Taiba N’diaye.