Industries, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse says Namibia and Angola must move quickly from years of feasibility studies to the construction of the Baynes Binational Hydropower Project to strengthen energy security.
The project is a joint hydroelectric power scheme planned by both countries along the Cunene River, roughly 48 kilometres downstream from Epupa Falls and about 185 kilometres downstream from the existing Ruacana Power Station.
It is designed as a mid-merit peaking power station with an estimated capacity of 600MW.
The intergovernmental implementation agreement was signed in November 2024.
The generated power would be split equally between the two countries and managed through their national utilities, namely Namibia’s Namibia Power Corporation and Angola’s Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade.
Speaking in Luanda, Angola, on Friday, Amutse said the long-delayed project had reached a stage where both governments needed to conclude preparations and advance towards implementation.
The meeting is part of the Angola-Namibia Bi-National Commission which will culminate into a summit to be held by the two countries’ heads of state today.
“It is now time to bring the development phase to a clear conclusion and move towards the construction of this much-needed energy infrastructure project,” he said.
Amutse was addressing a meeting on the project, which has undergone studies spanning several decades, including initial investigations into the Epupa site in the 1990s and feasibility studies for the Baynes site since 2008.
Amutse commended the two countries’ power utilities and the Southern African Power Pool for positioning the project as one of the region’s key strategic electricity generation initiatives.
He also acknowledged support from development partners, including the African Development Bank, the Swedish Fund, the Korean Fund and the African Legal Support Facility, which have contributed grant funding and technical assistance.
The minister thanked his Angolan counterpart, João Borges, for his leadership and continued support in advancing the project.
Amutse said the priority was now to turn years of planning into tangible progress.
“My desire and expectation is that this project should now move expeditiously from studies to real action,” he said.
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