Beijing - Angola is to have an aluminum factory in 2025, with capacity to produce 120,000 tonnes initially, the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, said Thursday in Beijing.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of an audience between President João Lourenço and the head of China's Hebei Huatong Cable Group, Zhang Wedong, the minister said the construction of the factory began this month in Barra do Dande through a private investment.

According to the minister, the project will generate employment for another 3,000 people when it is completed in 2025.

"It's an important project that will allow bauxite to be transformed into aluminum and aluminum electrical cables to be manufactured locally," explained the minister.

The minister considered the initiative an important step for the energy sector, as the plant will consume around 400 megawatts per hour, generating revenue for the public sector electricity companies and the state.

João Borges said the factory could generate gross revenue of roughly 139 million US dollars a year, making it an important investment for the electricity sector and the country.

FMA/VIC/ADR/AMP