Africa-Press – Angola. The minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, announced on Thursday (07) in Luanda that Angola and Namibia decided to sign soon a joint financing agreement and the exclusive area of the Baynes Hydroelectric Project, located on the Cunene river.
In a statement to the press following a meeting with Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Natangue Ithete, the Angolan official said that this measure represents the first concrete signal for the activation of the joint project.
According to João Baptista Borges, the meeting was an opportune moment to take the first steps and establish the initial phases for the construction of a road and an auxiliary power plant for the aforementioned hydroelectric project.
He also emphasized that the document to be signed will enable practical steps to be taken in terms of financing the project.
“We will use the same funding sources that Namibia secured, for a global investment of $1.2 million for this binational venture,” he added.
To this end, he added, the Finance Ministries of both countries will soon sign an agreement defining the conditions for access to financing, allocating 50% to each party.
In turn, Namibian Minister Natangue Ithete stated that the Baynes Dam will have the capacity to produce electricity for both countries and other SADC region countries.
“We need to initiate and put in action this project, which is why I came to Angola,” he emphasized.
According to the minister, Namibia already has funds available to begin construction on this project.
The Exclusive Area of the Baynes Hydroelectric Project is located on the Cunene River, on the international border with Namibia.
Preliminary studies indicate that the Baynes project will consist of a compacted concrete dam, 200 meters high, 1,025 meters long, with a reservoir measuring 40 km long and a flooded area of 58.15 square km, at full storage capacity.
The dam development unit will consist of an intake canal, water intakes, penstocks, and a power plant.
The main dam’s generating plant will have a capacity of 860 megawatts, with four 215-megawatt units, ensuring Baynes’ integration into the respective countries’ national power grids through the Angola/Namibia regional integration network.
During the meeting, the leaders of both countries also discussed the possibility of Namibia importing electricity into Angola.
According to minister João Baptista Borges, this intention should be realized with the participation of the private sector, which is responsible for creating the infrastructure for the respective interconnection, from the city of Lubango (province of Huíla) to the border area.
He considered it a project that brings benefits to both parties and, above all, to public-private partnerships.
The hearing also served to assess cooperation in the water sector, where Angola has developed projects of common and regional interest, particularly the Cafú Canal and the construction of the Ndué and Calucuvo dams in the Province of Cunene.
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