Angola And Namibia Has Signed Agreement On Electrical Power

Angolan Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, and Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Alpheus Naruseb signing a...

Angolan Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, and Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Alpheus Naruseb signing agreement.PHOTO: JOSÉ CACHIVA

The memorandum could pave the way for the construction of the Baines dam with a 600-megawatt production capacity in the near future. The document was signed by the minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, and on the Namibian side by the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Alpheus Naruseb. In a statement to the press, minister João Baptista Borges stressed the importance of the memorandum, which will allow the preparation of studies to interconnect the two countries in the field of electricity and the construction of an energy venture in the region of Ruacaná. The project starts running in 2021 and will last four and a half years. Each country will benefit from 300 megawatts of the Baines hydroelectric dam. 

In May 2018 Namibian President Hage Geingob said. “This is a vital undertaking which requires impetus in order to ensure that the energy requirements for our industrial drive are put in place and secured,” President Geingob said this after meeting Angolan President João Lourenço in Windhoek. Namibia Power Corporation and Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade of Angola are working with the Southern African Power Pool to connect the countries’ transmission systems. “The investigation is expected to highlight the impact of the transmission interconnection on the regional networks and consider the integration of the Baynes Hydropower Plant into the two networks,” he added.

The project is sponsored by Namibia Power Corporation and Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade, as well as the Development Bank of South Africa, which is administering the funds. Initially, the power line will supply power to southern towns in Angola, mainly Xangongo, Cahama, and Ondjiva.

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