Four West African countries along the river Senegal chose a Chinese company for the Felou dam project in Mali, local media reported on Monday.
The OMVS grouping of Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal rewarded the project to China's Sino Hydro Corporation with the foundation stone laid on Friday by the heads of state and government of the four countries.
The project, which is expected to be operational by 2012, is the third of its kind after the anti-salt dam in Diama in Senegal and the hydro-electric dam of Manantali in Mali with a capacity of 200 MW.
The project of 120 billion FCFA (240 million U. S. dollars) will be financed by the World Bank and the European Bank of Investment.
Once into operation, the project will bring about a yearly power supply of 59 MW while regulating the river navigation to Saint-Louis, Senegal.
During the stone-laying ceremony, Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure asked the local population and those within the OMVS region to welcome the Chinese firm in the best possible way, praising China for having carried out other energy projects in a number of African countries like Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.