Kouilou (lake)
| Kouilou (lake) | |||||||
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| Coordinates | 3 ° 33 '0 " S , 12 ° 26' 24" E | ||||||
| Data on the structure | |||||||
| Construction time: | planned | ||||||
| Height of the barrier structure : | 137 m | ||||||
| Building volume: | 0.39 million m³ | ||||||
| Crown length: | 345 m | ||||||
| Crown width: | 5 m | ||||||
| Power plant output: | 240 or 360 MW (1st / 2nd phase); 1000 MW (final expansion) | ||||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||||
| Water surface | 874 or 1800 km² | ||||||
| Storage space | 35,000 million m³ | ||||||
| Catchment area | 54,300 km² | ||||||
The Kouilou Reservoir (French: Barrage du Kouilou, also: Hydroelectric Project Kouilou or Sounda Dam ) is the project of a reservoir in the Republic of the Congo , which after its completion will have a capacity of 35 km³ and an area of 874 or even 1800 km² becomes.
The Kouilou reservoir (in the transcription often also: Kwilu, Kwila or Kwil ) will essentially feed itself from the two tributaries Kouilou , which is called Niari in the Niari region , and Louessé and drain into the Kouilou river. These rivers are a more complex hydrological system that dominates the entire Congo Basin between the hull landscape of the sloping Lower Guinea Sill and the Atlantic Ocean and extends over 4 of a total of 12 departments in the country ( Lékoumou , Bouenza , Niari and Kouilou ).
dam
The main structure of the dam project is an arch dam that is to be up to 137 meters high. 125 meters are also mentioned. The dam will be 345 m long and 15 m wide at the base and 5 m wide at the top of the wall. The structure is to be erected in the Sounda Gorge 90 km northeast of Pointe-Noire . That is why the project is also called the Sounda Dam.
Hydroelectric power plant
The hydropower plant is to be built in three phases. Initially, two turbines are to generate 10 MW so that initial income can be generated. In the second phase, a power plant with 240 or 360 MW is to be operated with a 40 m high dam, and in the final phase the dam is to be increased to 137 m, which will enable electricity production of 1000 MW with 5 turbines of 200 MW each. Only a part of approx. 50 MW is intended for the needs of the population. Two 90 km long power lines with 380 kV will carry the electricity to the industrial facilities in the port city of Pointe-Noire, where the Kouilou flows into the Atlantic. The energy is mainly needed for aluminum and magnesium production. The Canadian company Alloy is behind the project. Construction costs of $ 925 million are named.
The Kouilou project has been the largest dam project on the African continent since the construction of Lake Nasser and the Cahora Bassa dam . The French colonial power had already considered building such a reservoir, but after the independence of the Congo, the plans disappeared in the drawer against the background of decades of political instability in the region.
In June 1996 news agencies reported the start of construction. With the help of South African experts and donors, a 240 MW power plant is to be built within 14 months. President Pascal Lisouba officially celebrated the start of the project. However, the work was stopped again. According to more recent information, the project should be completed in 2024 .
The Kouilou Dam will permanently change the Congolese ecosystem in this area.
See also
- List of the largest dams on earth
- List of the largest reservoirs on earth
- List of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world
- List of dams in the world
Web links
- Kouilou dam on the side of worldlakes.org (Engl.)
- Electrification du Congo, la solution finale? - Report on the project (French)
- Satellite image