Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Hydropower Country Notes

Guinea

Guinea is well-endowed with water resources, having 1 165 watercourses draining into 23 hydrographic basins, of which 16 are shared with neighbouring countries. The WEC Member Committee reports that the gross theoretical hydro capability has been assessed as 26 000 GWh/yr, the technically exploitable capability as 19 300 GWh/yr and the economically exploitable capability as 19 000 GWh/yr. With a current installed hydro capacity of 129 MW and a 2005 output of 445 GWh, it is clear that the republic's potential has barely been touched - less than 3% of the economic capability has been harnessed so far.

The capacity potential corresponding to the technically exploitable capability of 19 300 GWh/yr is 6 100 MW, located mainly in the regions of Basse Guinée (46%) and Moyenne Guinée (43%), with minor amounts in Haute Guinée (8%) and Guinée Forestière (3%). Some 40% of the national hydro potential lies in the basin of the River Konkouré.

The Guinea Member Committee reports that there were no hydro plants actually under construction at end-2005 but that 836 MW, with a probably annual generation of 3 940 GWh, was under study. Additional hydro output which might feasibly become available in the longer term is put at over 5 100 GWh/yr. Taken together with the planned development of hydro capacity, this would imply an eventual total output of some 9 500 GWh/yr, equivalent to 50% of the assessed economically exploitable capability.

The 836 MW reported as planned, consisting of Fomi (90 MW), Souapiti (508 MW) and Kaléta (238 MW), is stated by Hydropower & Dams World Atlas 2006 to be under construction (as at early 2006).

Guinea's technically exploitable small-scale hydro potential is reported to be
1 224 GWh/yr. Total installed capacity in this category was just under 11 MW at end-2005, producing an output of 29 GWh in a normal year (generation in 2005 was very low, at less than 12 GWh).