High-Voltage ambitions: Prometal secures energy deal to drive Cameroon’s industrial transformation

This agreement grants Prometal direct access to the high-voltage power grid, through a dedicated 50 MVA transformer substation located in Bassa, Douala.

This substation provides an extraction capacity of 35 MVA, of which 70% is already being consumed by Prometal as of the signing date. Eventually, the group’s energy consumption will rise to 75 MVA at the current site and is expected to reach 175 MVA as part of the ambitious Steel and Metallurgy Cluster planned at the Kribi Deep Sea Port. This is a significant step forward for a company whose monthly energy bill already reaches nearly 1 billion FCFA.

This high-voltage integration reflects a strategic alignment between the growing needs of heavy industry and the modernization of Cameroon’s electricity transmission infrastructure. After the 2022 fire that damaged a Sonatrel transformer and reduced Bassa’s industrial zone capacity to 36 MVA, the installation of the new 50 MVA transformer stands as an answer  to the energy emergency. Prometal took on part of the financial burden required for the installation, demonstrating a strong commitment to public-private partnership.

This new connection also frees up approximately 34 MVA for use by other businesses and households in the industrial zone, significantly reducing the risk of power rationing.

Energy as a driver of industrial development

The Prometal Sonatrel agreement is a model of synergy between private industry and public infrastructure. It highlights the need for public authorities to modernize energy distribution to support industrial champions. By 2030, other companies in metallurgy, agro-industry, and mineral transformation are expected to follow this path.

The Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, praised the initiative as “an effective public-private partnership model that benefits the national economy,” while Sonatrel’s General Manager, Victor Mbemi Nyaknga, emphasized that “Sonatrel is not just a transporter of electricity, but also a facilitator of industrial development.”

By positioning energy as a strategic lever for industrial development in line with the National Development Strategy 2020–2030 (SND30), the government is not only optimizing corporate production capacities but also increasing the profitability of the energy sector.

Prometal Group: a model industrial journey

Since its creation in 2009, Prometal Group has continued to grow, becoming the leading metallurgy company in Central Africa. Its cumulative investments exceed 130 billion FCFA, spread over five major industrial sites, with more than 320,000 m² of installed surface area, including 95,000 m², and nearly 2,000 direct and indirect jobs created.

Among its key achievements are a 500,000-ton/year electric steel mill for billet production, a modern rolling mill producing 480,000 tons of rebar for a local demand of 260,000 tons, an annual production of 80,000 tons of wire rod, a plant manufacturing 600,000 gas bottles per year, and Cameroon’s first biomass boiler, replacing a gas boiler.

Prometal is not just a produce it innovates, invests in industrial research, and implements a strategy of import substitution in line with the regional ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

We have signed several joint ventures, notably with Gabon. The idea is to pool mining and industrial resources to build a coherent regional offer. Our vision is clear: to develop a Made in CEMAC label capable of meeting the demands of the continental market within the AfCFTA framework,

states Hayssam El Jammal, CEO of Prometal Group.

Prometal Group proves that a company’s energy consumption is not a burden but rather a reflection of a high value-added production potential. As the largest private consumer of electricity, the company does more than showcase the rise of heavy industry in Cameroon it embodies its strategic vision, logistical challenges, and above all, its regional growth prospects.