Bui Dam
| Bui Dam | |
|---|---|
Dam under construction in 2011 | |
| Country | Ghana |
| Location | On the border of the Savannah Region and the Bono Region |
| Coordinates | 8°16′42″N 2°14′9″W / 8.27833°N 2.23583°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | Preparatory: January 2008 Main dam: December 2009 |
| Opening date | 2013 |
| Construction cost | US$622 million |
| Owner(s) | Bui Power Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity, roller-compacted concrete |
| Impounds | Black Volta River |
| Height (foundation) | 108 m (354 ft) |
| Height (thalweg) | 90 m (300 ft) |
| Length | 492.5 m (1,616 ft) |
| Elevation at crest | 185 m (607 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Dam volume | 1,000,000 m3 (35,000,000 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Emergency, five gate-controlled |
| Spillway capacity | 10,450 m3/s (369,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Bui Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 12,570,000,000 m3 (10,190,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Active capacity | 7,720,000,000 m3 (6,260,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Surface area | Minimum level: 288 km2 (111 sq mi) Maximum level: 444 km2 (171 sq mi) |
| Maximum length | 40 km (25 mi) avg. |
| Maximum water depth | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Normal elevation | Minimum level: 167 m (548 ft) Maximum level: 183 m (600 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Commission date | 2013 |
| Turbines | 3 x 133 MW (178,000 hp) Francis turbines |
| Installed capacity | 400 MW (540,000 hp) |
| Website www | |
The Bui Dam is a 400-megawatt (540,000 hp) hydroelectric project in Ghana. It is built on the Black Volta river at the Bui Gorge, at the southern end of Bui National Park. The project was a collaboration between the government of Ghana and Sino Hydro, a Chinese state-owned construction company. Construction on the main dam began in December 2009. Its first generator was commissioned on 3 May 2013, and the dam was inaugurated in December of the same year.
Bui is the second largest hydroelectric generating plant in the country after the Akosombo Dam. The reservoir flooded about 20% of the Bui National Park and impacted the habitats for the rare black hippopotamus as well as a large number of wildlife species. It required the resettlement of 1,216 people, and affected the lives and livelihoods of many more.