Bumbuna Dam
| Bumbuna Dam | |
|---|---|
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Location of Bumbuna Dam in Sierra Leone
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| Country | Sierra Leone |
| Location | Bumbuna |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1990 |
| Opening date | 2009 |
| Construction cost | US$327 million |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill |
| Impounds | Seli River |
| Height | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Length | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
| Spillway type | Bell-mouth |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 445×106 m3 (361,000 acre·ft) |
| Catchment area | 3,920 km2 (1,510 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 2009 |
| Turbines | 2 x 25 MW (34,000 hp) Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 50 MW (67,000 hp) |
| Website http://bumbuna.sl/ |
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The Bumbuna Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Seli River near Bumbuna in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 50 megawatts (67,000 hp) power station. The site for the dam at Bumbuna Falls was first identified in 1971 and further studied in 1980. After funding was available, construction began in 1992. Works halted in 1997 due to the Sierra Leone Civil War and were not able to restart until 2002. On 17 July 2009, the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, inaugurated the dam and power station. A third of the dam's US$327 million cost was supplied by the African Development Bank. Another phase of the project is planned, for a 110 megawatts (150,000 hp) power station.[1][2]
