The Nachtigal hydroelectric plant is the flagship project in Cameroon’s energy transition. With a total installed capacity of 420 MW, it represents the largest addition to the country’s grid in decades and accounts for about 30 % of national electric needs once fully operational. All seven turbines were online by March 2025, and the plant has been feeding electricity into the Southern Interconnected Grid. The project, costing roughly 786 billion CFA francs, was developed as a public-private partnership and has quickly become a major renewable energy source for Cameroon. Its commissioning has increased hydropower’s contribution to the national mix and helped reduce reliance on expensive thermal generation.
However, production reliability remains lower than capacity potential. In practice, hydropower output from Nachtigal and others frequently falls short of installed capacity because of low water levels in key river basins, linked to hydrological variability in recent years. At Nachtigal itself, inflows at times translate into 260 MW rather than the nominal 420 MW.
Operational realities at Memve’ele. The Memve’ele hydropower station in the South Region, built on the Ntem River with Chinese support, has an installed capacity of about 211 MW. It began commercial operations between 2024 and 2025 and has contributed meaningfully to the grid, producing billions of kilowatt-hours annually and creating local jobs. Yet Memve’ele also illustrates a broader issue: capacity vs actual output. Due to seasonal water flow shortages, its real production often remains well below design capacity, especially in the dry season, with recent outputs reported around 100 MW under hydrological constraints.
Strengthening the reliability of Memve’ele’s operations has become a priority for the state-owned Electricity Development Corporation (EDC), which is planning targeted investments to improve the plant’s performance and operational stability.
The Lom Pangar dam and associated hydropower plant in the East Region has a modest installed capacity of around 30 MW, but its strategic role differs from larger plants. Originally financed with international support including from the World Bank and AfDB, Lom Pangar was designed primarily as a regulating reservoir to improve water flow consistency on the Sanaga Basin thereby stabilizing generation downstream at larger stations like Songloulou and Nachtigal and to supply local grids in the East. Since its commissioning, the Lom Pangar facility has helped improve electricity access in eastern Cameroon and reduced dependence on local diesel generators, supporting small industries and communities.
Installed capacity vs actual production: the gap that matters
On paper, Cameroon’s installed generation capacity from hydro and gas plants can exceed 1 500 MW enough to meet estimated national demand. But real output often falls short of this theoretical capacity for several reasons: Hydrological variability: Low reservoir levels have limited generation across major hydro plants, forcing operators to curtail output far below installed capacity. Transmission bottlenecks: Key transmission corridors, especially between Edea and Douala, cannot reliably transport all power produced, even when supply is available. Aging infrastructure: Older dams like Songloulou and Edéa face maintenance and hydrological challenges that constrain their output, making it harder for the system to absorb new capacity. Sector finances: Cameroon’s main distributor, Eneo, faces cash-flow constraints that complicate payments to producers like Nachtigal Hydro Power Company, unercutting financial stability in the sector. As a result, even with Nachtigal’s full 420 MW online, periodic shortfalls and outages persist, and the system still needs backup generation and grid reinforcement to ensure reliability.
Economic and industrial impact
Hydropower expansion offers major economic benefits lower generation costs: Hydropower is significantly cheaper than thermal generation, reducing fuel imports and operating costs. Clean, renewable power: Scaling up hydropower aligns with Cameroon’s climate commitments and offers a stable base for other renewables. Support for industry: Reliable power is vital for manufacturing, agro-processing, and service sectors. With more stable hydropower, companies face fewer production stoppages and can expand operations.
Despite these opportunities, several key risks and structural challenges temper the benefits: Hydrological dependence: Prolonged dry spells reduce reservoir inflows, undermining generation and exposing the grid to seasonal deficits, grid constraints: Even strong production cannot fully benefit consumers or industries without concurrent upgrades to transmission and distribution networks, Sector finance and governance: The financial strain on the utility and payment obligations under long-term contracts (e.g., monthly payments for dormant capacity) add fiscal stress and complicate planning, Industrial demand growth: As industry grows, demand will increase. Without diversification of energy sources and grid expansion, hydropower alone may not keep pace with future needs.
The expansion of hydroelectric infrastructure in Cameroon especially Nachtigal, Memve’ele, and Lom Pangar marks significant progress in reducing electricity shortages and building a more renewable energy base. These projects have increased installed capacity and reduced dependence on fossil fuel generation, while also supporting local employment and economic activity.
However, installed capacity remains a theoretical potential rather than guaranteed supply. Structural constraints such as water shortages, grid bottlenecks, and sector financial fragility mean that Cameroon is not yet free from energy deficits. To fully overcome these deficits and sustainably power its industries, Cameroon needs a holistic strategy that includes: continued investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, diversification of generation sources (including solar and other renewables), improved reservoir and water resource management, and stronger financial and regulatory frameworks.
