Guinea and China International Water & Electric Corp. (CWE) are in talks to build a hydroelectric power plant worth $ 2 billion. With a capacity of 550 MW, this power station will principally supply the bauxite mines of which the country has the biggest reservoir in the world. “The idea is to supply the mining industry. We wish to construct refineries for our bauxite”, declared Fofana Lansana, the Guinean Energy Minister.

The hydroelectric power plant will be constructed at Souapiti on the river Konkoure (photo). Two kilometres downstream, there will be a reservoir big enough to allow the two infrastructures to function even during the six months dry season which the country experiences every year. The construction of this power plant could lead to the displacement of more than 15,000 people.

The Export-Import Bank of China which financed three quarters of the Kaleta dam, has expressed interest to finance this new infrastructure. “We are in negotiation with Exim Bank and CWE, but we are also looking for other investors. We are open to the world”, claimed Mr. Fofana.

In Guinea, only 1/4 of the population has access to electricity. The new structure, once completed, will allow the country to almost double its capacity in energy production. “Our aim is to achieve energy independence in the next five years”, confided Gabriel Curtis, Head of the Guinean Agency for the Promotion of Private Investment.