The first unit of the Souapiti hydropower plant -- which when completed will have the biggest installed capacity in the West African country of Guinea -- successfully completed 72 hours of trial operations and was connected to the national grid for power generation on Nov 8.
The giant project, managed by the China Three Gorges Corporation, is being constructed by Sinohydro Bureau 3 Co, a subsidiary of POWERCHINA.
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The Souapiti hydropower plant is expected to have the largest installed capacity in Guinea. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
The project is located in the middle reaches of the Konkoure River, 115 kilometers away from the capital Conakry and 6 km upstream of the Kaleta hydropower project that POWERCHINA built and put into production.
With a total storage capacity of 7.49 billion cubic meters and installed capacity of 450 megawatts, the hydropower plant's annual power generation will be 2.02 billion kilowatt hours.
It integrates comprehensive benefits such as flood control, power generation and efficient water resources allocation. It will be a key controlling water conservation hub in the basin and is being praised by the people of Guinea as the "Three Gorges Project of Guinea".
After completion, the hydropower plant is expected to have an important positive significance in accelerating the development of Guinea's infrastructure, alleviating local power shortages, promoting local economic growth and improving the living standards of its people.
