Cover photo: China is currently building Angola’s largest dam on the Kwanza River.
Angola has a huge demand for electricity due to growing urbanization, especially in the capital city of Luanda with approximately five to six million inhabitants. Angola has an electrification rate of about 30%, which the government wants to increased to 60% by 2025.
Angola recently inaugurated the Luachimo hydroelectric power station, after bringing the power station back into service. The rehabilitation of the hydroelectric scheme required an investment of $212 million, financed with the support of the Chinese government.
The China Gezhouba Group Corporation, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation (Energy China) was contracted to rehabilitate the plant and to quadruple its generation capacity.
The ceremony to relaunch the hydroelectric power station took place on 17 May 2024 in Luachimo, a municipality on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Work on the project commenced in 2017, and included repairs to the hydro-mechanical equipment, the construction of a new water diversion canal, the installation of four new turbines, each with a generating capacity of 8.5 MW, the construction of a new 60 kV substation and the addition of transmission and distribution networks. The capacity of the Luachimo power station was increased from 8.8 MW to 34 MW.
According to Power Chinese, the installation will effectively reduce the discrepancy between electricity supply and demand in key towns in the province of North Luanda, particularly the capital Dundo, which has a population of almost 200,000. In addition, the rehabilitated power station will benefit “more than 30 industrial companies, which is of great importance for local economic and social development”, said China Energy.
The Luachimo hydroelectric power station was originally commissioned in 1953 when Angola was still a Portuguese colony. The Luachimo hydroelectric station is located on the river of the same name, a tributary of the Kasai River, which in turn flows into the Congo River.
The Luachimo hydroelectric power station was originally commissioned in 1953
At the inauguration ceremony, Chinese ambassador Zhang Bin pointed out that “the operation of the hydroelectric plant is a successful example of cooperation between the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water and Chinese companies”.
Angola has an exceptional hydro resource, characterized by many rivers with high flow rates and significant slopes, particularly the slopes between the central plateau and the sea level. The government of Angola has decided to build multiple hydropower plants on the Kwanza River focus is on hydropower. Nationwide there is an estimated potential of about 72,000 Gwh/year, with defined potential hydropower projects to increase the production capacity from the existing 1,200 MW up to approximately 7,000 MW.
China Energy is also currently building Angola’s largest dam. The mega reservoir on the Kwanza River will be equipped with a 2,172 MW hydroelectric power station. The Chinese-built Caculo-Cabaca Hydropower Station will be the largest in Angola and third largest in Africa on completion and is expected to begin operations in 2026.
The President of the Republic of Angola Joao Lourenco, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, made a state visit to China from March 14 to 17, 2024. Angola joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018.
Sources:
African Energy Portal, May 31, 2024. https://africa-energy-portal.org/news/energy-china-relaunches-luachimo-hydroelectric-power-station-angola
Hydro News, Issue No. 26. https://www.andritz.com/hydro-en/hydronews/26/hy-26-05-angola