Search efforts are still underway to locate two employees of the Société Camerounaise de construction du barrage de Nachtigal (CCN) who went missing on August 30th after their boat capsized on the dam reservoir. The incident occurred as the boat, carrying a total of five workers, was on a mission at the reservoir.

The boat, operated by CCN, responsible for civil engineering work on the Nachtigal hydroelectric development project, capsized around 11:50 AM on August 30, 2023. All five workers aboard were equipped with life jackets. CCN acted swiftly, collaborating closely with NHPC (the main project contractor) and administrative authorities to initiate a search operation. Extensive resources, both in terms of manpower and equipment, were deployed for the search. While three of the employees were located the same day and given immediate medical care, the search for the two missing workers has continued since August 30,” according to an internal source at NHPC.

NHPC has refrained from declaring the two CCN employees deceased, instead opting to refer to them as “missing persons until they are found.” Nevertheless, the likelihood of their survival is extremely slim after more than five days of search. Reports suggest that their life jackets, designed to endure harsh water conditions for a maximum of 48 hours, were found without their owners.

An investigation is currently in progress to determine the cause of the incident, with some sources close to the case pointing to a potential engine failure on the capsized boat.

This unfortunate incident occurred just over a month after the completion of the filling of the Nachtigal dam on July 18, 2023. This project milestone is crucial for generating an initial 60 megawatts (MW) of electricity, slated for integration into the South Interconnected Network (RIS) by December 2023. This was made possible thanks to the completion of the transmission line construction, six months ahead of the contractual schedule, in September 2021.

NHPC has outlined plans for the gradual installation of six additional 60 MW turbines, with the complete commissioning of this energy infrastructure projected for September 2024, as announced by the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba. Once fully operational, the Nachtigal dam alone will bolster Cameroon’s current energy capacity by 30%.”

Source: Business in Cameroon