Africa-Press – Angola. After consecutive years of restrictions, the supply of electricity in Benguela province is stable, thanks to the Northern Interconnected System which has reduced the operating costs of thermal power stations.
The connection to the North Interconnected System, from the Cambambe dam, took place in May 2019 and, Benguela already has a level of service of 96.86 percent, with a maximum power of 152.78 megawatts.
This information was provided by the director of High and Medium Voltage Exploration at the National Electricity Distribution Company (ENDE) in Benguela, José Lopes, when presenting the topic on energy supply in the region to the participants of the VI Extended Board of Directors of ENDE.
According to José Lopes, after interconnection with the north electrical system, Benguela, with emphasis on the coast, began to verify stability in the system and substantially improved the quality of electricity distribution.
The official added that this fact also had an impact on the company’s billing and on the increase in the number of customers, as they began to believe more in the now stable electrical system.
“There were, at that time, many companies that preferred to keep their generators on a permanent basis than the public network”, he noted, recalling that, from 2015 to 2017, the province was supplied by thermal power stations in Quileva, in Lobito, and Cavaco. , in the municipality (Benguela).
According to the director, the instability was so great that there were constant cuts in the supply of electricity, hence the use of electric generators by consumers as an alternative.
He also highlighted the installation, between 2017 and 2018, of three machines in the Quileva area, with two megawatts each, but general restrictions on the supply of electricity continued.
This picture would change since 2019, when the interconnection was made, precisely on May 20, 2019, between the province of Benguela and the northern region, as it brought stability and security to the network.
For example, in 2015, the province of Benguela had only five substations, but, as a result of investments in the electrical network, there are already 11 infrastructures that bring energy to consumers’ homes and institutions.
With regard to the other municipalities, such as Cubal, Ganda or Bocoio, the director highlighted that the supply was carried out – and continues to be carried out – by small generator groups.
Thus, he justified the “enormous instability” in the supply of electricity that still exists in these municipalities in the interior, given the great difficulty of operating these machines 24/24 hours and the lack of accessories for their maintenance.
More projects on the way
In turn, the director of the ENDE Distribution Center in Benguela, José Cunha, reveals the existence of at least seven projects to expand the low and medium voltage network in view of the rapid population growth in the province.
“We are working on it. For this year, Benguela will experience new projects, as it is growing exponentially”, he reinforced, meanwhile placing the electrification rate at 34 percent for approximately 142 thousand customers.
The expectation is that the implementation of these projects, for the expansion of the distribution network, with funding from the World Bank, will increase the province’s electrification rate to 38 percent by 2025.
He reports that, in recent years, the number of consumers has grown so much that ENDE is thinking of resuming an old project aimed at creating two distribution centers in the province, to meet demand.
The National Electricity Distribution Company has 207 workers in Benguela province.
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