Matala – Angola has invested around 350 million US dollars over the last five years in the rehabilitation of three hydroelectric power stations in the provinces of Bié, Huíla and Lunda-Norte, the Minister of Energy and Water João Baptista Borgessaid Friday.
The investment is part of the country’s National Development Plan 2023/2027, which aims to modernize and make infrastructures more efficient and preserve the environment.
The dams are Cusse in Bié, Luachimo in Lunda-Norte and Matala in Huíla, all of which are already in operation.
João Baptista Borges, who was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the local hydroelectric plant, said the benefits are visible not only in the availability of greater electricity production capacity, also in the reduction of costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the minister, once the rehabilitation and expansion of the Matala hydroelectric plant is completed a further 13 megawatts will be available to meet 38 per cent of the region's consumption needs, which means that the thermal power stations in Lubango and Moçâmedes will continue in production.
Thermal power stations decommissioned in 2025
The minister added that the thermal power stations will only be out of service in the last quarter of 2025, after the construction of the transmission line that will connect Golf, Matala and Lubango, and take off from Médio Kwanza, with a capacity of over 250 megawatts.
According to the minister, the extension of the national electricity grid to the south is also one of the executive's priorities and, in this context, the project to build a 400-kilowatt transmission line on the Huambo/Lubango route is in initial development, integrating Cunene province into the national electricity system.
LHE/MS/TED/AMP
