The Republic of Benin, in West Africa, covers an area of 112 622 km2. Togo borders Benin to the east, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The country’s estimated 1999 population equaled 6.3 million, 63 percent of which live in rural areas. The capital city is Cotonou in the south. Other major urban centres include Abomey and Kandi. The official language is French, however, various local languages are also spoken throughout the country. The local currency is the CFA-Franc. The international time zone is GMT –1 and the international dialing code is +229.

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Rapid population growth has offset much of this growth in output. Commercial and transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are vulnerable to developments in Nigeria, particularly fuel shortages. Benin’s external debt situation has been eased in recent years due to support of the Paris Club and official bilateral creditors. A World Bank supported structural adjustment program has been gradually implemented by the government, still burdened with money-losing state enterprises and a bloated civil service.

Water resources

Benin’s main river basin is the Oueme, with a catchment area of 46 990 km2. The country’s annual average precipitation is 1180 mm. providing a mean annual precipitation volume of 132.9 km3. The climate is tropical.

The Societe Beninoise d'Electricite et d'Eau (SBEE), Direction de I'Hydraulique (DH), is responsible for the country's water resources. Deregulation of the water sector is envisaged in the future. The country’s per capita water consumption in urban areas is 50 litres/day, while in rural areas it is 10 litres/day, a national average of approximately 25 litres/day. A total of 0.32 km2 of the country is under irrigation, of which about 1 per cent is fed by reservoirs.

Benin has two large dams in operation Nangbeto and Yeripao. Both of these dams were built for the dual purposes of hydropower generation and irrigation.

Energy and Power Sectors

Benin’s total annual electricity consumption in 1997 equaled 275 GWh, representing per capita consumption of 48.8 kWh/year. The country’s total electrical installed capacity in 1997 was 15 MW. In 1997, 270 GWh of electricity was imported to meet national demands. Energy consumption is expected to increase by 20 per cent/year during the next 10 years, with electricity consumption rising by 6 per cent/year.

Two organisations are responsible for electricity generation and supply in Benin. These are the Societe Beninoise d’Electricite et d’Eau (SBEE), controls the vast majority of generating capacity in Benin and Communaute Electrique du Benin (CEB), located in Togo. CEB is a Benin – Togo joint venture for the purpose of purchasing electrical energy from the Volta River Authority hydro facilities in Ghana. The CAB operates a transmission link between the Akossombo dam (Ghana), via Lome (Togo) to the Benin capital Cotonou in order to transport this energy.

All capacity in 1992 was thermally fired (gas, oil and diesel). Benin has an estimated (economic) hydro potential capacity of 300 MW. Transmission networks operate at 161, 63, 20 and 15 kV.

Benin and Togo plan to construct hydro electric facilities on the river Mono. The CEB is committed to extending its transmission network. In early 1998, the West African Development Bank announced that a loan of 3 billion CFA francs would be available to develop a planned rural electrification project.

Hydropower Development

Based on 1996 estimates, the theoretical hydropower potential of Benin is estimated to be 1676 GWh/year; which is effectively the gross potential. Almost all of the hydro capacity in operation is generated at the 66.4 MW multipurpose Nangbeto development, which began operation in 1987. A further 100 MW of hydro capacity is to be installed soon at the Adjaralla project on the border of Benin and Togo. This project is a joint-venture between the Governments of Benin and Togo and will be carried out by the CEB. The Adjaralla project will include a 50 m-high dam, either a fill or an RCC and fill structure.

Development of three small-scale hydroelectric projects is planned, including Ketou (72 MW, 41 m head), Olougbe (42 MW, 32 m head) and Assante (36 MW, 31 m head). There is currently one small hydro plant in operation, Yeripao (1 MW), which generates about 8.6 GWh/year.

Future Outlook

Benin has made great efforts to manage and increase the development of its water resources, however, there is still a great deal of work to be done. The country’s electricity sector faces heavy challenges, particularly in its rural environments. To date, electricity consumption represents only 3 percent of total energy consumption in rural areas.