Vinci has announced that construction work has started on the 128MW Sambangalou hydroelectric dam near Kédougou, in the south of Senegal.

The dam is being erected by Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Vinci Construction Terrassement Grands Projets. It will feature a 108m high reservoir with a capacity of 4 billion m3, and once complete will irrigate 90,000 hectares of agricultural land downstream.

Preparatory works for the project were launched in late September 2022, paving the way for four years of construction work. The preservation of biodiversity is an absolute priority on this worksite, said Vinci. Measures include preserving the habitat of chimpanzees as well as the Niokolo-Koba National Park, one of the last sanctuaries for wild animals in West Africa. Local low-carbon materials will also be used for hardwall buildings in the site’s life base.

This site will mobilise nearly 1200 people at peak activity.