For the hydropower plant Cambambe II at the River Kwanza, Voith will supply and install four generators and turbines as well as the control and associated systems. The order volume amounts to more than €100 Million.
The capacity of the four generator-turbine-units provided for Cambambe II adds up to a total of over 700 MW, according to Voith. The new hydropower plant is to be built next to the existing facility of Cambambe I, allowing the new plant to use the infrastructure and dam already available on the spot.
"The order in Africa is an important success for Voith“, says Dr. Roland Münch, President & CEO of the company’s hydropower branch Voith Hydro. "With our supply, we are contributing sustainably to the economic development of Angola.”
Hydropower as a secure and cost-effective way of energy generation is an option particularly to emerging countries for the further extension and stabilisation of power supply.
In Africa, there is considerable potential for further hydropower development: The technically feasible hydropower potential on the continent amounts to an estimated 400 GW while the installed capacity adds up to no more than about 25 GW. Thus, the highest percentage of untapped hydropower potential in the world is in Africa.
In Angola the hydropower potential is estimated to around 18 GW, with only four percent of that having been developed so far. The country intends to significantly invest in its energy sector in the coming years. As part of this, a considerable share of the enhanced electricity generation is supposed to originate from hydropower.
Many other countries in Africa also focus on hydropower when approaching the necessary expansion of the local energy supply. These countries are aiming to provide a reliable and stable electricity supply to the dynamically growing population as well as the increasingly strong developing economy.
Today, according to Voith, only one out of four Africans has access to electricity, and the supply is often patchy and disrupted by major black-outs. Hydropower is very suitable for a stable and reliable energy supply. In addition, it contributes to the local creation of value, supports the regional development and is helping countries in Africa in their efforts to become more independent from energy and fuel imports.