Namibia, Angola to build $1.1 bln dam

  1. Posted on Friday 7 May 2010 - 11:53
    raphie
    Image of raphie
    Ryekolal Raphie, AfricaNews reporter in Kampala, Uganda
    Namibia and Angola have partnered to build a US$1.1 billion hydropower plant on a river that runs along their common borders. The move is to help end power disruptions that have plagued their economies for decades.
    Namibia and Angola to continue with $1.1 bln dam
    The head of Namibia's state-utility firm NamPower Paulinus Shilamba said in a Reuters report: "After a series of delays of the project, which includes a hydropower station and a storage dam in the Kunene river, is expected to be ready by 2017.

    "It's a joint venture project between the two countries and 50 percent of the cost is covered by Angola and the other 50 percent by Namibia.

    "So there are no private parties but I don't exclude the possibility of private companies coming in."

    Environmental and feasibility studies of the 400-megawatt (MW) Baynes hydroelectric project should be ready before the end of the year, he said. Both nations will then look for contractors to build the power station.

    The plans to build the dam 15 years ago at the picturesque Epupa falls, about 40 kilometres north of Baynes, were scrapped after protesters raised fears it would threaten the environment and the nomadic Ovahimba community who lived nearby.

    Angola, which rivals Nigeria as Africa's biggest oil producer, relies heavily on hydroelectric power for its energy needs and is investing billions of dollars in rebuilding dams wrecked by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002.

    The officials at Angola's Energy Ministry say that only 5% of an estimated 18,000 MW of hydroelectric power is being used in Angola.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Algerians vote in parliamentary election10/05Polls have opened in Algeria for parliamentary elections which the authorities have billed as more free and transparent than ever before.
News archive