Huambo, Angola, 27 May – The first phase of the Ngove dam, located 119 kilometres from the Angolan city of Huambo is due to start operating in the first quarter of 2011, with production of 20 megawatts of electricity, Angolan news agency Angop reported Thursday.

The announcement was made by the Angolan secretary of state for Energy, João Baptista Borges at a meeting with the governor of the province, Faustino Muteka to lay the first stone of the project for Rehabilitation and Expansion of the Distribution Network of Huambo and Caála.

Construction of the Ngove hydroelectric dam, which is the responsibility of Brazilian company Odebrecht, is expected to cost some US$150 million.

In the first quarter of 2011 the dam will generate 20 megawatts of power for Huambo and Bié and, at the end of the same year, the remaining 40 megawatts, with three turbines producing a total of 60 megawatts.

The dam will produce an annual average of 150 gigawatt hours of electricity, which will be distributed to the cities of Huambo and of Kuito (Bié province), as well as storing 3 million cubic metres of water, which will be distributed to the provinces of Huambo, Huíla, Namibe, Bié and Cunene.

The construction project for the low and medium voltage transmission lines in the cities of Huambo and Caála will be carried out over 18 months and cost the government around US$52 million.

The project will provide Huambo and Caála with 15 kilowatt transmission cables as compared to the current cables, which carry 6 kilowatts of power. (macauhub)