Name and Location
Cambambe hydroelectric facility rehabilitation and expansion project, Angola.

Client
Empresa Nacional de Electricidade.

Project Description
The Cambambe hydroelectric facility is located on the Kwanaza river, 180 km south-east of Luanda.

The rehabilitation and expansion of the facility will be completed in three phases.

In Phase 1, the four exiting turbines that are not operational will be rehabilitated.

Phase 2 involves the construction of a second powerhouse (Cambambe II), with four additional turbine generators, with a capacity of 175 MW each, for a total capacity of 700 MW.

The total yearly energy output of the two powerhouses will be 4 914 GWh distributed into the Angolan Electricity Transmission System through a new 400 kV substation. The new substation will also be connected to the existing substation by a 220 kV line.

The new hydraulic generation circuit of Cambambe II includes one water intake, three feed tunnels and an outlet tunnel from each of the turbines.

The tunnels will be excavated out of the rock. Internal roads and services/facilities for water, sewage, waste and electricity will also be constructed at the site. In addition, a surplus materials (rock) dump, a central concrete facility and a central crushing facility will be established.

Phase 3 will raise the dam wall by 30 m to an elevation of 132 m and will include the construction of a lateral spillway on the southern bank.

Once the height of the dam wall has been raised from 102 m to 132 m, with an average water level of 130 m, the surface area of the reservoir will be 5.5 km² with a ‘useful’ capacity of 45.9 Hm³.

Further, to maintain the integrity of the dam in its current state, the dam wall requires structural reinforcements to the bottom dissipation slab to reduce erosion, the construction of a concrete wall to increase downstream energy dissipation capacity and the construction of concrete side walls to limit the overflow zone.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Construction/rehabilitation of the dam is expected to take about 44 months.

Latest Developments
Voith has been awarded a €100-million contract to supply and install four generators and turbines, as well as the control and associated systems.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
SRK Consulting (independent environmental and social consultant), HSBC Bank (financing for Phase 2) and Odebrecht (construction).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Ministério da Energia e Águas, tel +244 222 430 576/ or fax +244 222 430 227.
SRK Consulting, tel +27 21 659 3060, fax +27 21 685 7105 or email capetown@srk.co.za.
Odebrecht, tel +55 71 2105 1111 or +55 71 2105 1112.
Voith communications, Lukas Nemela, tel +49 7321 37 6354.