Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Power Station is a 2,172 MW hydroelectric power station under construction in Angola. When completed, it will be bigger than the 2,070 MW Laúca Hydroelectric Power Station, the largest power station in the country, as of July 2017.[1]
| Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Power Station | |
|---|---|
  Map of Angola showing the location of Caculo Cabaça Power Station. | |
| Country | Angola |
| Location | São Pedro da Quilemba, Cuanza Norte Province |
| Coordinates | 09°41′11″S 14°59′20″E / 9.68639°S 14.98889°E |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 2017 |
| Opening date | 2026 (expected) |
| Construction cost | US$5.2 billion |
| Owner(s) | Government of Angola |
| Operator(s) | Gezhouba Group & Empresa Pública de Produção de Electricidade |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | RCC Gravity dam |
| Impounds | Kwanza River |
| Turbines | 4 x 530 MW + 1 x 52 MW |
| Installed capacity | 2,172 MW |
Location
editThe power station is located at the village of São Pedro da Quilemba, near the city of Dondo, in Cuanza Norte Province.[2] This location is approximately 195 kilometres (121 mi), by road, southeast of Luanda, the capital and largest city of Angola.[3] The geographical coordinates of Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Power Station are: 09°46'50.0"S, 14°32'58.0"E (Latitude:-9.780556; Longitude:14.549444).[4]
Overview
editIn August 2017, construction began on this power station, by the selected contractor, China Gezhouba Group Company Limited, with partial funding from the state-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The planned generation capacity at Caculo Cabaça is 2,172 megawatts, to be used in Angola and for export to the countries in the Southern African Power Pool.[2]
Construction is expected to last at least 80 months.[1] In October 2019, the Angola Press News Agency reported that commercial commissioning of this power station was expected in 2024.[5]
The main dam will be 103 metres (338 ft) in height, with crest width of 553 metres (1,814 ft), creating a reservoir lake that measures 16.3 kilometres (10 mi) in length, with a surface area of 16.6 square kilometres (6 sq mi).[6]
Construction costs and funding
editThe total project cost is budgeted at US $4.5 billion, 85 percent of which was borrowed from ICBC. The construction company, Gezhouba Group, will own, operate and maintain the power station for at least four years after commercial commissioning. During those four years, China Gezhouba will train Angolan engineers and technicians on how to manage the power station. An estimated 10,000 workers are expected to be hired during the construction phase.[1]
In May 2023 the construction budget was revised upwards to US$5.2 billion, with US$3.8 billion allocated to the dam and US$1.4 billion allocated to electric generation and transmission equipment. The government of Germany has agreed to lend $1.16 billion to the government of Angola to fund the procurement and installation of the turbines and related electrical hardware by the German conglomerate Voith Hydro.[7]
In January 2024, Voith Hydro was contacted to supply four Francis turbines with an output of 530MW each and one additional Francis turbine with an output of 52MW, together with related hardware. When the power station is commercially commissioned, 67 percent of Angolan national generation capacity will be derived from hydropower sources. The source of the European funding was identified as Commerzbank and UniCredit, with government to government guarantees provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. The supply order to Voith exceeds US$1 billion.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Michael Harris (8 July 2017). "Angolan officials break ground on 2,170-MW Caculo Cabaca hydropower plant, generation begins at 2,070-MW Lauca". United States of America: Hydroreview.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b Daniela Del Bene (24 September 2017). "Hydroelectric Project Caculo Cabaça, Angola". Environmental Justice Atlas. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Road Distance Between Luanda, Angola And São Pedro da Kilemba, Angola" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Location of Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Power Station, Angola" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Angola Press News Agency (16 October 2019). "Caculo Cabaça dam starts producing power by 2024". Luanda: Angola Press News Agency. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Alternative Energy Africa (18 October 2019). "Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Expected Online in 2024". Cairo, Egypt: Alternative Energy Africa. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Jean Marie Takouleu (29 May 2023). "Angola: China's CGGC launches work on the Caculo Cabaça dam (2 GW)". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ ARBT (1 January 2024). "Voith To Equip Large-Scale Hydropower Plant In Angola". African Review of Business & Technology (ARBT). London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
