Basile Atangana Kouna says small and giant projects will be pursued and new ones engaged.

Going by the Minister of Water Resources and Energy, Basile Atangana Kouna, 2014 will mark a significant turn in the country's energy and water supply. The Minister said on Saturday after facing the Budget and Finance Committee of the National Assembly that small and giant projects already undertaken will be pursued and new ones initiated to step up the quality and quantity of energy and water supply for both domestic and industrial use.

He said in the area of energy supply, 2014 will be devoted to the continuation of measures to secure the country's power supply in the short, medium and long terms, the improvement of access to modern energy services by the rural, sub-urban and urban population as well as the continued promotion of electricity network interconnection with neighbouring countries for purposes of energy exchanges.

With a proposed package of FCA 108.796 billion for 2014 up from the FCFA107.794 billion of 2013, the ministry will also be used for the completion of studies relating to the update of the long-term Electricity Sector Development Plan, continuation of works on the Lom-Pangar dam, including the adaptation works on the Chad-Cameroon pipeline and on other giant projects like Memve'ele, Mekin as well as finalizing preliminary studies and the legal and financial structuring of the Nachtigal, Bini a Warak, Menchum and Song Dong hydroelectric projects.

Minister Atanaga Kouna disclosed that FCFA 40.695 billion of the FCFA 54.6 billion allocated for financing public investment budget projects, 74.5 per cent of the overall budget, will be dedicated to the above mentioned projects. The remaining FCFA 13.905 billion will help finance projects transferred to councils like drinking water supply schemes and rural electrification schemes.