Africa-Press – Namibia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will today and tomorrow personally oversee the commencement of various capital projects in the northern parts of the country, as part of government’s push for the speedy implementation of key development projects and programmes
Her three-legged site visits will start with the groundbreaking ceremony of the Oute River Bridge today at Etanga, before witnessing the commencement of construction activities at the Opuwo-Okangwati-Orokaue Baynes Power Project site at Opuwo, also later today.
The much-anticipated construction of the Oute River Bridge is of vital importance and will come in handy for locals in the Kunene region, who for years have struggled to commute during peak rainy seasons.
During the last heavy rainy season, rivers in the Oute area as well as in the Okangwati, Etanga, Onungurua and Otjiumuhaha all blocked the movement of people and animals.
The Baynes Power Project is another massive government energy project, aimed at securing the country’s energy independence through a sustainable, long-term solution. The project is expected to become fully operational by 2031.
The Project is situated along the Cunene River, 185 km downstream of Ruacana at the border separating Namibia and Angola. It involves the construction of a hydropower dam on the Cunene River, 48 km downstream of the Epupa Falls.
It is envisaged that the Baynes mid-merit peaking power station’s capacity will be in the range of 600 MW, which will be shared equally by Namibia and Angola. Like Ruacana Power Station, the new dam will function as a mid-merit peaking station, which will help to offset costly power imports during peak hours.
During the wet season the Baynes Power Station is predicted to run at full capacity, while during the dry season the generators will generate at maximum during mid-merit/peak periods only, whilst 71MW would be generated during the off-peak periods.
The project has been in development since a feasibility study was commissioned in 2008, with the study completed in 2014. A follow-up study initiated in 2021 was completed earlier last year, further solidifying plans for implementation.
Tomorrow, Nandi-Ndaitwah will be in Eenhana for the commissioning of another million-dollar government capital project, which will see the Ohangwena II Wellfield Water Supply Scheme (WWS) Project at the NamWater Defluoridation Plant finally taking off.
The Ohangwena II Wellfield Water Supply Scheme, which is estimated to cost over
N$250 million, includes laying 200km of pipelines, two existing boreholes at Oshandi will be connected to a water tower, and two new boreholes at Eenhana will be drilled and connected.
These will feed into an elevated reservoir at the Ondobe-Eenhana water tower, ensuring a sufficient water supply for villages in the area.
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