Sinohydro, the world’s biggest hydroelectric power plant construction company, and the Organization for the Promotion of the Senegal River (OMVS) have been awarded the construction of a hydropower plant in Koukoutamba, Republic of Guinea. The 294 MW Koukoutamba dam will be built in the middle of a newly declared protected area called the Moyen-Bafing National Park in to the northeast of Conakry. OMVS plans three other hydropower projects in the mid-term in Guinea and 20 micro-plants for rural electrification. According to experts up to 1,500 chimpanzees could be killed by the new dam that will swamp a crucial sanctuary for the endangered primate in Guinea. The highlands of Guinea are home to Africa’s healthiest remaining population of about 16,500 western chimpanzees.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 28, 2019 15:11 UTC