The Félou Hydroelectric Plant (
French: ''Centrale hydroélectrique de Félou'') is a hydroelectric installation at the
Félou Falls on the
Sénégal River in Mali. It has three
water turbine
A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work.
Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, t ...
s capable of generating 62.3 MW. The current power station replaced an older one built in the 1920s. Construction of the new power station began in October 2009 and was financed by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
. It is the third
Senegal River Basin Development Authority project on the river and was completed in 2014. The existing weir was refurbished with the previous height maintained. In 1927, the previous hydroelectric power station was commissioned. It was refurbished in 1992 and had an installed capacity of 600 kW.
At maximum output, the three 21 MW turbines pass a total of of water. Between August and November the water flowing in the river generally exceeds this value allowing the plant to operate at full capacity and the excess water to pass over the weir. During the dry season (December to July), the electricity generated is reduced to about a third of the maximum output as the flow of water is limited to the released from the
Manantali Dam.
The total estimated cost is 241 million US dollars. The construction of the plant was completed in 2014.
See also
*
Manantali Dam – upstream
*
Gouina Hydroelectric Plant – upstream
*
Diama Dam – downstream
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felou Hydroelectric Plant
Hydroelectric power stations in Mali
Run-of-the-river power stations
Dams completed in 1927
Energy infrastructure completed in 2014
2014 establishments in Mali
Weirs
Dams in Mali
Dams on the Senegal River
Kayes Region