Domoni became, on November 10, 2021, the first of the 9 electrified villages as part of the PEPM  implemented by SONELEC.

Co-financed by the European Union and the Comorian government, this project will connect to the main grid of Mohéli the villages located on the west and south coast of the island, and develop two photovoltaic power plants connected to this network. IED acts as a technical assistant of the project: preliminary design studies, development of tender documents and today the control of works.

The medium-voltage network will be extended to this part of the island with the construction of a 37 km underground line. This is the first line of its kind built in the Comoros  – a choice justified by the sensitive natural environment and topography of the area. This project is thus an opportunity for  SONELEC agents to train in this solution.

SONELEC has already carried out its own installation of distribution substations and low-voltage networks in the villages.

In order to reduce the fuel consumption of the thermal power plants that today ensure the electricity production on Mohéli,  two photovoltaic plants connected to the grid (total capacity of 175 kWp) are also being installed by the Comorian company  Netisse.

The completion of the work is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022, with the commissioning of the BT networks as the work progresses.

As part of the capacity-building partnership with the Société Béninoise d'Energie Electrique (SBEE), IED is providing a technical training program accompanied by software solutions in order to sustainably build new national capacities for studies and planning in the energy sector.

More than twenty SBEE agents and executives benefit from these trainings, which take place at the SBEE training centre in Cotonou. The courses cover varied topics such as spatial analysis with GIS software, or electrical and mechanical calculation of networks thanks to NAP and Giselec software, as well as geospatial planning of rural electrification with the leading tool GEOSIM.

Find our IT solutions and training offers on the site  www.ied-sa.fr

New key milestones have been reached on the construction site of the Mbakaou Carrière small hydroelectric power plant (PCH) in Cameroon (1.4 MW, 11.2 GWh/year) and associated power lines.

Led by IED INVEST, as a developer of the project and IPP (Independent Power Producer), and in partnership with the IED group, the Ministry of Energy of Cameroon (MINEE), the Rural Electrification Agency, ARSEL (regulation), and the company ENEO (distribution National), this major project for the IED group is being finalized, with exploitation expected for the end of the year.

On October 15, 2021, the pre-reception operations of the 30kV Medium Voltage line took place between ENEO and IED INVEST Cameroon, which built these 39.7 km of power lines between the hydroelectric power plant production site and the city of Tibati, and will retrocede them to ENEO for operation and distribution to Cameroonian users.

As for the hydrolectric power plant production side, it will be IED INVEST Cameroon that will manage, operate the plant and produce the energy injected into the new network. The Civil Engineering phase is also about to end.

The installation phase of the electromechanical equipment is well advanced with the first 950 kVA alternator installed.

The test period, with load testing and commissioning, is scheduled for the entire month of November, after then the commercial operation phase can begin.

We are thankful to our financial partners without whom this rural electrification project in Cameroon with a strong social impact could not have been possible, in particular the European Union, the French Fund for the Global Environment and the BGFI bank.

See you soon for the inauguration of the plant!

The PRERA project, funded by the French Development Agency, aims to extend the electricity networks of the national electricity company SBEE in the urban commune of Abomey Calavi  (Cotonou agglomeration) and 81 villages in the Atlantic department.

As part of its mission to supervise works, IED supported SBEE and the consortium companies for the smooth running of operations, in compliance with deadlines, costs, technical and environmental specifications.

Since the end of July 2021, two new 63kV/15kV transformation substations in GIS (Gas Insulated Substation) technology are in operation in the municipality of Abomey Calavi. This technology, with many advantages, is new to Benin, and its introduction has been intensely supervised by IED specialists.  All active parts are isolated, which improves the safety of operators and the risk of defects in case of bad weather. In addition, this technology is adapted to the urban environment by its small footprint compared to AIS (Air Insulated Switchgear) technology.

Three 63 kV underground links (630mm² aluminium section) connect these new substations to each other and to the existing Vedoko substation, in order to form a 63 kV loop. The loop has been fully commissioned since the end of August 2021.

This new infrastructure will enable the SBEE operator to:

• Reduce the number and time of power outages
• Improve the stability of electrical voltage
• Decrease the rate of overall losses on the power grid

The people of Benin will thus benefit from an improvement in electricity availability and quality, thanks to a better network reliability.