The civil engineering lot (Lot 1) comprises the dam’s civil works, the supply of hydro-mechanical equipment with associated metal structures. The electromechanical lot (Lot 2) covers the supply and installation of the hydropower plant’s equipment, as well as associated civil engineering, while the transmission connection component lot (Lot 3), includes the construction of the evacuation line, switchyard and connections between the plant and substation.
Only candidates selected during this phase will be invited to participate in the tender process, which is to be launched in August or September 2025, according to procurement notices published on 27 January. KHPC specified that participation in the initial selection process, which is in accordance with the standards defined by the World Bank, is open to all national or international firms or groups of companies provided they are not subject to sanctions or suspensions vis-à-vis the State of Cameroon, the World Bank or the International Finance Corporation (IFC) at the time of the submission deadline.
The run-of-river project is to be developed on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis at a site in Mbam-et-Kim département, about 60 km north-west of Yaoundé, on the border between Cameroon’s Central and Coastal regions. It will comprise a dam approximately 1200 m long and a powerhouse to be equipped with six Kaplan turbines with a rated power of 83.3 MW each, that will harness a head of around 35 m. The project will also entail the construction of a 400 kV transmission line, spanning some 40 km, from the hydropower plant to the RIS interconnection point in Boumnyebel.
The scheme will be the second large hydropower dam on the river Sanaga, following the forthcoming commissioning of the 420 MW Nachtigal hydropower dam, which is also being co-developed by EDF. Construction is scheduled to start in 2026 for commissioning in 2030. The project is being developed within the framework of Cameroon’s National Development Strategy 2020-2030, aimed at increasing electricity supply at least cost through the development of new hydropower on a PPP basis.
According to EDF’s early estimates, the project’s cost exceeds EUR 1 billion, with funding to be sourced from the World Bank, via its private-sector financing arm, the IFC, and other development partners and lenders.
Interested candidates should contact KHPC to express their interest in applying, according to the following terms and conditions: (i) By sending an email to the following two addresses appeloffres.kikot@khpc.cm AND Projet-kikot@edf.fr, and by indicating in the subject of their email: “Request for participation in the Initial Selection of the KIKOT-MBEBE project – LOT 1, 2 or 3”, clearly specifying the lot(s) of interest. In return a Confidentiality Agreement will be sent, which must be returned, duly dated and signed by a person authorized to represent the candidate, with the power of delegation of the signatory. Upon receipt of these documents by KHPC, candidates will obtain secure access to the iDeals virtual platform where they can download the initial selection file.
The entire initial selection process is managed via this iDeals virtual platform, whether the consultation of the file by the candidates, the management of requests for clarifications made by the candidates and the responses provided by KHPC as well as the submission of application files.
A virtual information meeting will be organized on 12 February 2025 to present the initial selection process, concerning all the lots and answer initial questions from candidates via an anonymization process. The connection link will be communicated to candidates in due time. This meeting will be recorded and will then be available on the KHPC company website at https://khpc.cm/fr.
