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DAM-L Epupa "not priority" for Angola/LS (fwd)
The Namibian
Monday, July 24, 2000
Epupa not priority for Angola
CHRISTOF MALETSKY
THE Angolan government has said it does not see the Epupa hydroelectric
project as a priority in an apparent rebuff to Namibias hopes of getting
the power scheme off the ground.
Visiting Angolan Minister of Energy and Water Affairs, Luis da Silva, told
a media briefing on Friday that Luandas priorities were to rehabilitate the
Calueque scheme and Gove dam inside Angola.
Speaking through an interpreter, Da Silva said the Calueque scheme and Gove
dam are our main two priorities as far as the Kunene (river) is concerned.
He said Epupa has been the subject of discussion for some time, but did not
indicate when Angola might agree on a site for the controversial hydropower
scheme.
Mines and Energy Minister Jesaya Nyamu described the inter-ministerial
meeting between Namibia and Angola as fruitful and extensive and expressed
the hope that ongoing discussion will be rewarded with a satisfactory
solution.
He said the Epupa scheme was not linked to plans for the Calueque and Gove
dams and he did not see the other Angolan projects as obstacles.
Nor did he say the current disagreement about where the dam should be
situated as blocking the ultimate progress of the project.
The Angolans are planning to commence with urgent repairs to the Gove Dam
and Namibia has expressed a readiness to help ensure the dam is
rehabilitated.
Gove, which was damaged during the civil war and has not been used since
1975, is not only considered to be necessary for the improved regulation of
water flow in the Kunene River, but will also boost the chances of having
the Baynes site selected for the Epupa hydropower scheme.
Angola has argued that it is now in a position, due to an imp`roved
politico-military situation, to commence with urgent repairs to the dam.
Luanda informed the Permanent Joint Technical Committee meeting that the
demining operation along the canal running from Calueque to the border of
Namibia had been successfully completed.
A special committee - called Task Force Calueque - has been formed to
rehabilitate the canal, upgrade the gravel road, rehabilitate the pump
station, and upgrade the electricity substation for the electrification of
the town Calueque.
In what a source described as the "start of a positive working relationship
with Namibia", Angola will be making use of NamWater to purify water along
the Calueque canal on both sides of the border area.
Originally Namibia had hoped that a firm decision on the Epupa site would
be taken by mid-1999 so the first phase of development could begin early
this year.
However, the two countries have differed sharply on where the dam should be
constructed.
Namibia favours the Epupa site while Angola is pressing for the Baynes site.
The Angolans are believed to be keen on Baynes because it will mean they
will be able to renovate and regulate the Gove dam.
The Namibian Government contends that the Baynes site is too small, despite
its environmental and social advantages compared to other sites considered.
The final report of a feasibility study by a consortium of Namibian,
Swedish, Norwegian and Angolan consultants stated that the environmentally
more damaging Epupa Falls dam site would be the more economically viable
option for the project.