The gas-fired power plant in Kribi, located in southern Cameroon, resumed operations on Feb. 21 after being offline since September 2024.
The shutdown followed a dispute over an outstanding debt of CFA137 billion owed to Globeleq, the independent power producer managing the Kribi (216 MW) and Dibamba (88 MW) plants.
The announcement was made on February 26, 2025, by Gaston Eloundou Essombla, Cameroon’s Minister of Water and Energy, during the "Industry and Energy" panel at the first Cameroon Economic Meetings organized by the Groupement des entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM), the country’s main business association.
The debt was claimed from Eneo, Cameroon’s power utility. The Kribi plant’s 216 MW capacity is now back online, helping to balance the country’s energy supply and demand.
This power is fed into the South Interconnected Network (RIN), which serves seven of Cameroon’s ten regions.
"We reached an agreement with Globeleq last Friday (February 21), and the Kribi plant is now back in service," Minister Eloundou Essombla stated.
However, he did not provide details about the terms of the agreement between the state and Globeleq.
Sources close to the matter revealed that in recent days, Cameroon’s Treasury had raised funds through public securities issued by the BEAC to partially settle the debt owed to Globeleq by Eneo.
For years, the government has typically covered unpaid electricity bills from decentralized local authorities and state-owned companies like the Cameroon Aluminium Company (Alucam).
Eneo has estimated that the state and its branches owe over CFA100 billion. The Treasury often steps in to make payments to Eneo, which, in turn, is required to clear its debts with suppliers such as Globeleq.
The plant’s reopening is expected to help ease the ongoing power outages that have affected households and businesses for several weeks.
Despite the increased output from the Nachtigal Dam (420 MW), which is already generating 360 MW, the country has been facing a daily electricity deficit of up to 100 MW, according to energy sector experts.
This power shortage is largely the result of the Kribi gas plant’s shutdown, along with the low water levels and climate change, which have significantly reduced the output from other plants, including Songloulou (384 MW), Edéa (276 MW), and Memve’élé (211 MW).
Minister Eloundou Essombla explained that the Memve’élé plant, in particular, was completely halted at times due to low water levels in the Ntem River, which is the plant’s water source.
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Gas power plant in Kribi
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