Cabinda’s Malembo Thermal Power Station, the province’s primary source of electricity generation, is set to receive a 30-megawatt boost within days as the rehabilitation of a turbine idled for more than a year on technical grounds nears completion.
Pedro Afonso, chairman of the board of state-owned electricity producer Empresa Pública de Produção de Electricidade (PRODEL-EP), gave the assurance on Thursday following a courtesy meeting with Cabinda provincial governor Suzana de Abreu.
Afonso said that once the refurbished turbine returns to service, Malembo — which has an installed capacity of 145 megawatts — will produce 115 MW, up from the current output of 85 MW.
He added that a rehabilitation programme covering two additional turbines has been approved, which would further expand electricity generation capacity in Cabinda province.
“We are putting in place the conditions so that the public procurement procedures can be concluded in the coming days,” Afonso said.
On the planned construction of a 90-megawatt photovoltaic power plant at Ngoio, Afonso said the project was advancing at a good pace.
He explained that foundation works are under way and that conditions are being prepared for the formal start of technical operations at the solar facility.
Afonso described the Ngoio project as a structurally important development that will expand the province’s energy supply through renewable sources, contributing to greater stability in the regional electricity grid.
The Malembo Thermal Power Station, with its 145 MW installed capacity, is the backbone of Cabinda’s electricity system, operating with four diesel turbines and one gas turbine rated at 22 MW and 35 MW respectively.
In addition to Malembo, Cabinda also draws power from the Santa Catarina power station, which operates six generating units — five of them available and one out of service — with a combined installed capacity of 10.2 megawatts.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/economia/central-termica-de-cabinda-vai-ser-reforcada-com-30-megawatts/
