The government of Gabon has awarded a US$400 million contract to a Chinese firm to build the 160-MW Poubara 2 hydroelectric project.
SinoHydro of China reported managers of its international company initialed a contract July 20 with the director of Gabon's Ministry of Energy and Minerals. Formal contract signing is expected in mid-August in Libreville.
To be built on Gabon's largest river, 1,200-kilometer Ogooue, Poubara 2 is to include a dam, tunnel, surge shaft, power station, switchyard, and transmission line.
Poubara 2 is expected to provide power for regional manganese mining as well as for export to the Republic of Congo. The 38-MW Poubara project has been operating since 1975 to provide power to Franceville, Gabon's third largest city.
