Chinese Government provides $4 million loan for 3.4MW Kinkon Hydropower Plant Rehabilitation Project

Project narrative

In 2006, the Chinese Government provided a $4 million loan to the Government of Guinea for the 3.4MW Kinkon Hydropower Plant Rehabilitation Project. The terms of this loan are unknown. This project sought to expand the capacity of the Kinkon hydropower dam from 3.0 mW to 3.4 mW. Hunan Constructing Engineering Group was the contractor responsible for implementation and the project was completed on July 19, 2006. The Kinkon hydropower dam is a seasonally regulated reservoir diversion power project located in Pita District, upstream of Kinkon Falls on the Kokoulo River. It serves 6 towns: Pita, Labe, Dalaba, Timbi-Matina, Mamou, and Boulizel. It was built with funding from the Chinese Government, with construction beginning in 1963 and ended in 1966. It was commissioned on October 26, 1966. Then, it was rehabilitated in 1988 (again with financial support from the Chinese Government). In 1992, the Kinkon hydroelectric power station experienced significant flooding. The machine rooms were submerged under 2 meters of water and the Chinese Government dispatched an emergency team to restore the dam to normal operations.