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Kiymbi Dam

Coordinates: 5°02′01″S 28°56′57″E / 5.033544°S 28.949178°E / -5.033544; 28.949178
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(Redirected from Kyimbi River)
Kiymbi
Kiymbi Dam is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kiymbi Dam
Location of Kiymbi in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Official nameBarrage de la Kyimbi
CountryDemocratic Republic of the Congo
LocationSouth Kivu Province
Coordinates5°02′01″S 28°56′57″E / 5.033544°S 28.949178°E / -5.033544; 28.949178
PurposeHydroelectricity
Opening date1959
Dam and spillways
Height14.5 m (48 ft)
Length30 m (98 ft)
Elevation at crest1,652.2 m (5,421 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity75,000 m3 (2,600,000 cu ft)
Power Station
Hydraulic head677 m (2,221 ft)
Installed capacity41,250 kW (55,320 hp) (max. planned)

The Kiymbi Dam is a major hydroelectric dam and power station that was opened on the Kiymbi (or Kyimbi) river in 1959. It has been neglected and requires rehabilitation. New initiatives have been undertaken to rehabilitate the dam.

Kyimbi River

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The Kyimbi River originates in the Mugandja plateau at a height of 6,560 feet (2,000 m). It contains a series of falls over a distance of 2 miles (3.2 km), with the largest 300 to 500 feet (91 to 152 m) high. The total drop in this section is over 2,500 feet (760 m).[1] They are among the highest falls in the African continent to be used for power generation.[2] In the dry season the average flow is 3 to 10 cubic metres per second (110 to 350 cu ft/s), but this rises to 150 cubic metres per second (5,300 cu ft/s) in the rainy season.[3]

Planning

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In 1948 it was reported that a company had been formed to build a hydroelectric plant on the Kyimbi river in the north of Katanga, to supply Albertville (now called Kalemie). Operations were expected to start in 1950.[4] The plant was to be built near Bendera.[5] This is about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Albertville.[6] There were delays. A 1952 report said that construction was still planned.[7] A 1954 report described the planned structure as a dam 14.5 metres (48 ft) high that would provide water to five generating units, each with 8,250-kilowatt (11,060 hp) capacity, or 41,250 kilowatts (55,320 hp) in total.[6]

The plant was eventually built and operated by the Forces de L'Est du Congo (FEC), a company that began operations in 1955 to provide power to the eastern Congo.[8] It began delivering power from two of the five planned turbines in 1959.[9] Additional turbines were to be installed as needed to meet demand.[2] The architect Eugene Palumbo, assigned to the Congo by UNESCO, designed the service city of the dam construction project.[10]

Dam and power plant

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The dam is above the main Kiymbi waterfalls and consists of a concrete arc 60 metres (200 ft) in length, with a crest altitude of 1,652.2 metres (5,421 ft). The dam's capacity is about 75,000 cubic metres (61 acre⋅ft). Water is carried away from the dam in a horizontal direction along a 1,428 metres (4,685 ft) covered channel, or gallery, to a point above the power station. The gallery is partially lined with concrete, with a width of 3.5 metres (11 ft) where it is lined and 4.5 metres (15 ft) where it is unlined. The gallery terminates in a de-sanding chamber 30 metres (98 ft) long and 7 metres (23 ft) in diameter which eliminates any sand particles larger than .03 millimetres (0.0012 in) in diameter. The sand is flushed down a gully to the river below.[2]

From a tank at the end of the de-sander, the water is fed to the power plant by a steep conduit 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) long with a diameter decreasing from 1.1 to .9 metres (3 ft 7 in to 2 ft 11 in). The drop is about 677 metres (2,221 ft). The water powers the turbines and is discharged into the river below the waterfalls.[2] The power station came online in 1959 with two 8,250 kilowatt generators, with potential for three more of the same capacity.[9] A 132 kW line carried the electricity to Albertville.[2]

Rehabilitation plans

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Bendera dam on Kyimbi River in Tanganyika Province of Democratic Republic of Congo. The dam is the upper facility of the Bendera Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo became independent in June 1960.[11] The state electricity company, Société nationale d'électricité (SNEL), prepared a study of rehabilitating the Kiymbi power station in 1992.[12] A 2007 report prepared for the World Bank evaluated rehabilitation of the power plant. The very rough estimate of cost from a "reconnaissance" study would be US$52.06 million for 43 MW installed capacity.[13] The report recommended making a priority of a more detailed study.[14]

In 2023, a British company took over the rehabilitation plans for the Bendera hydroelectric plant and is currently conducting a feasibility study for the project. The rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin in 2025, with plans to increase the plant's capacity beyond its current output. This project is expected to provide increased access to green energy and electricity for communities in Kalemie and areas surrounding the power plant.

References

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Citations

  1. ^ Office du tourisme 1956, p. 389.
  2. ^ a b c d e Leenders 1960.
  3. ^ Barrage de la Kyimbi.
  4. ^ U.S. Dept. of Commerce 1948, p. 89.
  5. ^ American University 1971, p. 373.
  6. ^ a b U.S. Bureau of Foreign Commerce 1954, p. 24.
  7. ^ Electrical Times 1952, p. 369.
  8. ^ U.S. Joint Publications Research Service 1970, p. 239.
  9. ^ a b U.S. Joint Publications Research Service 1970, p. 241.
  10. ^ Fullerton 1964, p. 22.
  11. ^ Fullerton 1964, p. 4.
  12. ^ SNC-Lavalin International 2005, p. 3-2.
  13. ^ SNC-Lavalin International 2007, p. S-17.
  14. ^ SNC-Lavalin International 2007, p. 15-6.

Sources

  • American University; Foreign Areas Studies Division (1971). Area handbook for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Kinshasa). U.S. Govt. Print. Off. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • "Barrage de la Kyimbi". Albertville.be. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • Electrical Times (1952). "Work in the Congo". Electrical Times. Electrical Times, Limited. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • Fullerton, Garry (1964). "Unecso in the Congo" (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • Leenders, A. (30 June 1960). "Notes succinctes sur l'aménagement hydro-électrique des chutes de la Kiymbi". L'Essor du Congo. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • Office du tourisme (1956). Traveller's Guide to the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. Tourist Bureau for the Belgian Congo & Ruanda-Urundi, IIIrd Directorate, Information and Public Relations Bureau. p. 389. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  • SNC-Lavalin International (March 2005). "Preliminary Evaluation of New Power Options in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • SNC-Lavalin International (February 2007). "Strategic/Sectoral, Social and Environmental Assessment of Power Development Options in The Nile Equatorial Lakes Region" (PDF). The World Bank. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • U.S. Bureau of Foreign Commerce (1954). World Trade Information Service. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 24. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  • U.S. Dept. of Commerce; Bureau of Foreign Commerce; Bureau of International Business Operations; Bureau of International Programs (January 1948). Foreign commerce weekly. U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Retrieved 2013-04-19. {{cite book}}: |author3= has generic name (help)
  • U.S. Joint Publications Research Service (1970). Translations on Sub-Saharan Africa. p. 241. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
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