Song Lou Lou Hydropower Plant

The Song Lou Lou Hydroelectric Power Plant (1976-1987) is located on Cameroon’s most important river, the Sanaga, 55 km upstream of Edéa, in the middle of the tropical forest but close to major urban centers such as Douala (150 km), Edéa, and Yaoundé. Between the right and left banks of the river, the various structures that form the reservoir include the main dam, a secondary dam, an overflow spillway, and an intake structure.

The main dam, 328 meters long and 20 meters high, is constructed from laterite and rock with a compacted clay core. The intake structure and the power plant were designed to accommodate up to eight generating units; the first phase included the installation of 4 turbines.

The power plant, which is completely separate from the intake and dam structures, is of the conventional type. Upon exiting the plant, the water is returned to the Sanaga River via a 1,100-meter-long outlet channel carved into the rock, which follows the course of the river's secondary branch.