Eneo’s expertise enlisted to implement a World Bank - funded distribution network strengthening project

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As a key actor in the energy sector, Eneo was chosen as the lead engineer of the distribution segment of the World Bank-funded Cameroon Electricity Sector Reform Programme (PARSEC) through the Project For Result (P4R). 

The programme to replace fragile wooden poles with concrete poles on major medium voltage lines features among the P4R distribution projects. In fact, 50, 000 concrete poles are scheduled for installation by 2025. The first phase features 10,000 poles.  For 2025, this programme was launched on Tuesday 08 April 2025 by the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, who visited factories producing concrete poles locally.

“The fall of wooden poles due to the power of storms or their dilapidated state is among the numerous causes of power supply interruptions. Out of the 1,600,000 wooden poles that carry out power lines, around 40% are outdated. This programme will enable the government transition from wood to concrete with the initial objective of installing 50,000 concrete poles this year by replacing the falling wooden poles, ” the minister stated.

Gashiga; the city where the concrete pole revolution started.

It all started with a banal field visit from the new director of the northern region at the end of 2017. He had just been transferred there. He had learnt about the various electricity-related challenges the region faced. Some of these challenges involved the safety of residents and service quality relating to the nature of networks. The latter stood out owning to their precarious nature.

In fact, the bases of power line-carrying wooden poles were destroyed by termites while the tops were ravaged by the violent winds sweeping across these savannah areas. However, the area had the advantage of being crossed by numerous streams whose beds are made up of sand and gravel. During his tour of an area located several kilometres away, Jean Didier Ndo was drawn to the sand and gravel in Gashiga. These materials were everywhere.  And he could not resist the desire to know whether their characteristics could lend themselves to the production of quality concrete poles.

Samples collected from the site were analysed and tested thousands of kilometres away, with the help of an expert who confirmed that the project was feasible. Jean Didier therefore decided to set up a concrete pole manufacturing factory in the northern region. One hundred and fifty poles were made from the moulds of this small industrial unit with raw material found in the region itself.  They were used to build a new power line to strengthen electricity supply in Garoua. Several other lines received these poles.

Today, drawing from Eneo’s experience, the project is spearheaded by the Cameroon government. According to the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, 50,000 wooden poles will be installed this year to strengthen the distribution network.

Service quality: concrete poles — a durable and robust solution for strengthening the distribution network

Concrete poles production sites.

There are many factors to blame for the power outages on all electricity networks. As far as generation is concerned, we could cite generation shortfalls caused by low water levels, which are the result of rainfall or the desertification of some areas. With regards to transmission, the overloading of transmission substations, which limits the inflow of energy, is a cause for concern. Distribution is not left out. According to Gaston Eloundou Essomba, Minister for Water and Energy, of the 1,600,000 wood poles sustaining our lines, around 40% are fragile.

In the face of these limiting factors, concrete poles offer a real solution in terms of durability and robustness. “Technically, the use of concrete poles solves the problem of extending the lifespan of electricity networks. The lifespan of our networks has been severely impacted by the phenomenon of rotting wood poles. For example, the service lifespan of a medium-voltage line should be at least 25 years, but with wood poles as the main line support, we're down to less than 5 years”, explained Nicolas Keedi, DEGS.

According to several experts, the advantages of concrete poles, such as their long service life (at least 25 years) and the fact that they are produced locally, will help to considerably reduce pole-related incidents and accidents over the next ten years, and consequently reduce the maintenance budget for medium and low-voltage lines.

The aim is to make concrete poles the preferred choice for supporting medium-voltage lines (the so-called ‘backbone’ lines). Wood poles, for which efforts are being made to improve strength and durability, would therefore be used as a second priority for backbone lines and to a greater extent for low-voltage lines.

An overview of the P4R project

The P4F project is part of an emergency response to the electricity crisis, and has two components: transmission and distribution-commercial. Generally speaking, the project will help capture 150 MW of industrial demand, strengthen the transmission network and improve the service quality of the distribution network for the population while at the same time reducing the duration and frequency of outages.

In terms of transmission, these are fast-track initiatives to strengthen and extend the transmission network, some of whose loops, such as the Littoral loop, are known to be very congested, limiting the flow of energy to the Littoral and West Regions. Several new lines are under construction, and SONATREL is working on projects to upgrade substations.

On the distribution and commercial front, the works planned in the P4R are:

• Installation of 72 primary cells in source substations;
• Construction of service networks (773 MV/LV substations; 469 km of MV network; 1,343 km of LV network);
• Construction 50.5 km of MV backbone networks to improve service quality;
• Replacement of 15,100 wood poles and cross-arms with concrete poles and metal cross-arms;
• Construction of 167 km of MV backbone network to capture industrial demand;
• Installation of 20,000 smart meters at government delivery points;
• 200,000 connections (single-phase and three-phase) in the major towns.

The works will run from 2025 to 2028. The budget for the works is CFAF 131, 140, 995, 000.