Cabinda - The Angolan Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, announced the start, later this year, of technical work that will determine the route of the 120-kilometre submarine cable that will connect Cabinda province to the National Electricity Grid.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, during a working visit of a few hours to the province of Cabinda, João Baptista Borges said that the idea is to start this project from next year, with the installation of the electricity network.

He said that the project continues to be a priority of the Government, justifying that the bet aims to reduce the production of thermal energy permanently.

João Baptista Borges assured that there was another project to boost electricity in Cabinda, which involves the construction of the photovoltaic solar park, with a capacity of 90 MW, in the Fortaleza area, in the municipality of Ngoio.

He assured that the project already has the entire administrative process and the environmental impact study completed, with only the signing of the financing agreement missing for the start of its development.

'While waiting for the ongoing structuring projects, other solutions are being found to improve the supply of electricity to the province of Cabinda,' he added.

The Minister explained that maintenance work is underway on two 25 and 30 MW gas turbines at the Malembo Thermal Power Plant, in the municipality of Tando-Zinze, in order to end, within two weeks, the restrictions on the supply of electricity to the cities of Cabinda and Cacongo.

He gave assurances that, by next year, the Malembo plant will be reinforced with another gas turbine, which is already on site, awaiting assembly, a bet that will guarantee a reserve in terms of capacity and availability of electricity.

He informed that, in the coming days, work will start on the installation of new household connections.

The Malembo thermal power plant, with an installed capacity of 145 MW, supplies only 85 MW, due to the technical breakdown of two of the five turbines, of 35 and 25 MW each.

Regarding the water sector, the minister said that the major constraint at the moment is not production, but the distribution network that already needs to be applied, due to the growth of the population in the region.

For this reason, he explained, the ministry is working, under the World Bank program, to expand the water distribution network to all areas of the city of Cabinda and Cacongo.

He said that the project also includes the rehabilitation of drinking water collection and distribution systems in the municipalities of Ngoio, Buco-Zau and Belize.

In Cabinda, the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, visited the Malembo Thermal Power Plant, Santa Catarina, Chibolo, the Sende electrical substation and the Sassa-Zau Drinking Water Treatment Plant. JFC/JAR/DOJ