Prime Power for Telecommunications in Western Africa

In 1978, in its program of aid to developing countries, Canada undertook the construction of a microwave telecommunication system conncecting five West African countries: Senegal, Mali, Upper Volta, Niger and Benin. The system which forms part of the Pan African Telecommunication Network proposed by the Inernational Telecommunication Union consists of 54 microwave stations spread over a 3000 kilometer route. The majority of these stations did not have commercial power available and the reliability of the power at stations which had access to commercial power was questionable. As the microwave stations depend on a reliable source of AC and DC power for their operation, several options were examined for its supply, and appropriate alternatives were adopted to suit specific station requirements. High reliability and an uninterruptible power supply was the key requirement. Three basic configurations of power generation for the various microwave stations are described: - dual closed cycle, vapour, turbo-generators; - dual diesel generator system; - commercial power with one standby diesel generator. Each of these systems provides uninterruptible power. Each microwave station is equipped with one of the above power configurations to provide DC power for the telecommunication equipment and the AC power through inverters to operate AC loads such as cooling equipment. Delivery logistics to remote microwave stations under very difficult road and access conditions is a major problem in some sections. Problems have been experienced with a number of facets of the power systems which have reduced systems reliability. Measures taken to eliminate the difficulties are described.