Sustainable Development around Small Scale Mining Areas by the Development of Micro Hydro Power: Application Cases in Cameroon

Of all the precious metals buried in the Cameroonian subsoil, gold is certainly the longest exploited. It has longtime been the subject of artisanal exploitation. In 2014, the monthly national production was estimated at around 170 kg. In these mining areas, people still live in a screaming precariousness of which one of the main causes is often the lack of electricity, because of the distance of these localities to the national electricity network. Cameroon has a great hydroelectric potential, but the access rate to electricity is still very low in isolate or rural areas of this country. The objective of this work is to show that it is possible to efficiently exploit gold in isolated areas and contribute to the sustainable development of these localities through the development of micro hydro power (MHP). The mining community of Tikondi in the East Region of Cameroon is the practical case study for an illustration. The results of this study show that the development of the MHP project can be developed with installed power of 87 kW, where the Banki-Michell turbine is recommended according to the Sulzer-Escher Wyss diagram. The investment cost evaluated at 79,832,775 FCFA (1 Euro = 656 FCFA). It is a profitable project with a maximum payback period of 8 years. This project can be easily funded by gold mining activity. That Tikondi’s MHP can make this village becoming attractive for others activities, improving the quality of education of children (there is not any school and lots of them do not go to school), the building of health centers and the quality of life in that locality and therefore contribute to their sustainable development too.