The Farahantsana hydroelectric power station in Madagascar has gone into operation. The government through President Andy Rajoelina inaugurated the28 MW facility.
The development of the project located in the commune of Mahitsy in the Analamanga region started 10 years ago. In 2018, construction work began, involving the collaboration of companies from Madagascar, Italy, and the Philippines.
Tozzi Green the project’s developer entrusted the construction site to several companies, notably the Société de construction et de bâtiment (SCB) and Sogea Satom, a subsidiary of the French group Vinci.
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Scope of work on the project involved; construction of a run-of-river dam on the Ikopa River, an intake, a grit chamber, a feeder canal, a headroom chamber, a line of four 2,500 mm diameter penstocks. This equipment provides water for the operation of a power plant equipped with four Francis turbines with a capacity of 7 MW each, making combined capacity of 28 MW.
The work related to the construction of the hydroelectric power plant resulted in more than 750 direct local hires and enabled the growth of the city of Mahitsy and the municipality of Ambohimasina.
The Farahantsana plant draws 66 m3 of water per second from the Ikopa River on a nominal head of about 42 m and generates an annual output of 135 GWh of electricity, enough to cover the average consumption of about 2,750,000 inhabitants, i.e. 65% of the population of Antananarivo.
The power plant project was developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement. The electricity produced is sold to the public utility Jiro sy rano malagasy (JIRAMA). The kWh of electricity is sold at seven cents.
“This new infrastructure marks a new stage in Madagascar’s journey towards emergence through energy transition and the country’s production capacity,” said President Andry Rajoelina.
