GUINEA-BISSAU · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —What is happening Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Natural Resources, Júlio Mamadu Baldé, said on Thursday 22 October 2026 that the head of government has approved the Saltinho hydropower dam, a long-planned project on the Corubal river.
- —Why it matters Guinea-Bissau now draws electricity through a regional grid, so a dam on its own river would add a domestic source, though no start date has been given.
- —The numbers The 2019 design plan, which is the latest public figure, put Saltinho at 20 megawatts and €60 million to €100 million (about US$67 million to US$112 million); no new cost has been published.
- —Who is who The OMVG is the river-basin body of Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, and SOGESART is the company that is to run its shared power assets; its board met in Bissau on Thursday.
- —What to watch Watch for a cost, a financing plan and a construction date for Saltinho, and for the OMVG heads of state summit that the minister hopes to hold in Bissau before the end of this year.
- —What it means for you For US readers this is an early signal, not a deal: no US lender or firm is named, so it matters mainly to investors following West African power and to travellers in Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau’s government has approved the Saltinho dam, its natural resources minister said on Thursday 22 October 2026. The statement came as the board of a regional power company met in Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau says its government has approved the Saltinho dam, a hydropower project on the Corubal river. Júlio Mamadu Baldé, Minister of Natural Resources, made the announcement in Bissau on Thursday 22 October 2026, says the newspaper O Democrata.
No cost, size, financier or start date was published on the day. For US readers it is a signal on West African power, not yet an investable deal.
What the Minister Said in Bissau
Baldé spoke at the opening of the SOGESART board session in Bissau, which runs from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 October 2026. SOGESART is to manage the shared power assets of the OMVG, a river-basin body of four West African states.
O Democrata says the minister told the meeting that the head of government has already approved the Saltinho construction project. It quotes him in Portuguese saying Saltinho will also be a reality "within a few years".
The paper does not name the head of government or give the date of the approval. It also gives no cost, capacity, financing, contractor or timetable.
Approval of a project is not the same as money, a tender or a start of work. This article therefore treats the approval as the minister’s statement, not as a published government decision.
The minister also hopes the OMVG heads of state summit will be held in Bissau before the end of this year. He added that governments must create the conditions for SOGESART to work well.
SOGESART board chairman Carlos Andrade is quoted as saying: "Today the country has electricity thanks to the existence of this interconnection." The newspaper does not say how much power Guinea-Bissau receives.
What the Saltinho Dam Is
Saltinho is a planned run-of-river hydropower plant on the Corubal river, about 100 kilometres south-east of Bissau. A run-of-river plant uses the natural flow of a river instead of a large storage lake.
In 2019 the regional energy agency ECREEE described it as a 20 megawatt project. A Portuguese engineering team, COBA and Artelia, was starting its design study under a €1.5 million contract (about US$1.7 million).
The same 2019 report put total investment at €60 million to €100 million (about US$67 million to US$112 million). It said more than €50 million (about US$56 million) had already been raised.
The OMVG, a United Nations industrial agency and the African Development Bank backed the project. Funding came from SEFA, the bank’s clean energy fund, the Global Environment Facility and OeEB, Austria’s development bank.
Those figures are seven years old and are not confirmed for 2026. The reports found do not say what the dam would cost to build today.
The OMVG’s 2025 inauguration notice lists a second generation hydropower development at Saltinho among its projects. It does not say that construction has begun.
How the OMVG Power Grid Reaches Bissau
The OMVG is the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River, with Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal as members. Its main energy work is a 225 kilovolt grid that links the four countries.
The OMVG says the grid can carry 800 megawatts over a 1,677 kilometre loop, with 218 kilometres in Guinea-Bissau. President Umaro Sissoco Embáló presided over the Guinea-Bissau inauguration at Antula, Bissau, on Friday 25 April 2025.
The grid is meant to carry power from the Kaleta dam in Guinea, which is already operating. In January 2024 the then minister, Malam Sambú, told the news agency ANG that one link was missing.
That link was to the grid of the EAGB utility. Andrade’s remark this week suggests the link now works.
Sambangalou, the Dam Still Unfinished
O Democrata says the OMVG’s long-held goal is met, with power now coming from the Caleta (Kaleta) and Sambangalou dams. The other sources found do not show Sambangalou producing power.
Sambangalou is a 128 megawatt dam in the Kedougou region of Senegal. Le Soleil, a Senegalese daily, reported on 10 March 2025 that work had stopped in January 2024.
The contractor stopped work while seeking payment of outstanding claims, says Le Soleil. In March 2025 the OMVG council of ministers agreed to restart the works.
The Point, a Gambian paper, reported on 26 May 2026 that OMVG chairman Laye Sekou Camara feared funding and contract disputes. Camara is Guinea’s energy minister, and he named both Sambangalou and the grid as projects at risk.
So the safest reading is that Kaleta power flows through the grid, while no source seen shows Sambangalou finished. The minister’s exact words on Sambangalou were not published beyond the newspaper’s own summary.
SOGESART was still being set up in March 2025, says Le Soleil, with its seat in Guinea. A US$15 million World Bank payment to the OMVG, to cover grid operating invoices, then depended on the company becoming operational.
Why Guinea-Bissau Wants Its Own Power
Guinea-Bissau’s supply now leans on the regional grid, as Andrade’s remark shows. A dam on the Corubal would give the country a domestic source.
On 9 June 2026 ANG reported that the Council of Ministers approved a 40 megawatt plant at Nhacra, in the Oio region. The cabinet also authorised a public tender, and no cost or financing was given.
Together the Saltinho approval and the Nhacra plant point to a government trying to build its own generation. Neither has a published cost, a financier or a completion date.
Only the Nhacra project has a tender announced. The Saltinho approval, as reported, has none.
What It Means for US Readers
No US company, lender or agency is named in the reports on Saltinho, the OMVG grid or SOGESART. The 2019 funders were a regional development bank, a UN agency, a global environmental fund and Austria’s development bank.
For US investors the story shows how West Africa is trying to finance power. It also shows that approvals can come years before funding, and it is not a tradable event.
US travellers and residents in Bissau use the same grid, so regional supply matters to hotels, clinics and businesses. Any gain from the OMVG grid is unquantified so far.
No US policy statement on Saltinho was found. Readers should treat any claim of US involvement as unsupported.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when the head of government approved the dam, or in what form. The minister’s statement is the only source for the approval.
No second Guinea-Bissau outlet and no OMVG release for 22 October 2026 was found. It is also not known what Saltinho would cost today or who would finance it.
Nobody has said how much electricity Guinea-Bissau receives through the OMVG grid, or what it pays. The state of Sambangalou in October 2026 is also unconfirmed.
The outcome of the SOGESART board session on 24 October is unknown. So is the date of the heads of state summit the minister hopes to host.
What Comes Next
The SOGESART session ends on Saturday 24 October 2026, and any communique should show how the company is funded. The next marker for Saltinho would be a cost estimate, a financing plan or a tender notice.
The OMVG summit in Bissau, if held before the end of 2026, would be the place for such news. Until then the approval remains the minister’s word.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Guinea-Bissau announce about Saltinho?
The Minister of Natural Resources said on Thursday 22 October 2026 that the head of government approved the Saltinho dam project. No cost, financing or start date was published.
What is the Saltinho dam?
It is a planned run-of-river hydropower plant on the Corubal river, about 100 kilometres south-east of Bissau. A 2019 report described it as a 20 megawatt project.
What is the OMVG?
It is the river-basin organisation of Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. It built a 225 kilovolt grid linking the four countries.
What is SOGESART?
It is the company created to manage and operate the OMVG’s shared power assets. Its board is meeting in Bissau from 22 to 24 October 2026.
Is Sambangalou producing electricity?
Not confirmed: Le Soleil reported works halted in 2024, and The Point flagged funding risks in 2026. A Bissau paper links it to power now flowing.
Does the United States play a role in Saltinho?
No US company or agency is named in the reports. The 2019 backers included the African Development Bank and Austria’s development bank.
Sources: O Democrata GB, 22 October 2026; OMVG, inauguration of the interconnection in Guinea-Bissau, 25 April 2025; ECREEE, 4 June 2019; Le Soleil, 10 March 2025; Le Soleil, SOGESART, 10 March 2025; Senegal Ministry of Water, 9 March 2025; The Point, 26 May 2026; ANG, 9 June 2026; ANG, 3 January 2024; Exchange rate, EUR 0.8903 per US$1, 22 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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