Kinguélé Aval: Challenges and solutions for a hydro project in an equatorial climate

The Kinguélé Aval hydro project in Gabon has been under construction since late 2021. The scheme is located about 100 km east of the capital Libreville. It is the project furthest downstream on the Mbei river, with two upstream powerplants in operation, Kinguélé and Tchimbélé. The Kinguélé Aval scheme features a 47 m-high conventional concrete dam, topped by a Piano Key Weir (PKW) in its central part, and closed on the right bank by an embankment dam. The powerplant houses three Francis units with a total installed capacity of 35 MW, and can supply about 200 GWh/year. This project is of major importance for Gabon, as Libreville, where half of the population lives, is facing a major lack of electricity, with numerous daily power cuts in recent years.