• Major contribution to the expansion of Angola's electricity generating capacities
• Voith's tailored financing package and technical concept pay dividends
• Hydropower potential of 43 GW technically feasible in Angola

Angola: In the presence of 500 international guests from the political, industrial and social arenas, Angola's Vice President Manuel Domingos Vicente officially opened the Cambambe 2 hydropower plant at the end of June 2017 on behalf of President José Eduardo dos Santos. Technology Group Voith was the project's key partner and was responsible for the supply and installation of the turbines, generators, control technology and associated electromechanical systems. The order volume for Voith amounted to more than EUR 100 million.

The new Cambambe 2 hydropower plant has four generator-turbine units with a total installed capacity of 700 MW. In future, the plant on the River Kwanza will generate electricity for up to eight million of Angola's residents and will therefore make a significant contribution to expanding the electricity generation capacities of this nation in southwestern Africa.

The new hydropower facility was installed next to the existing Cambambe 1 plant, which has been in operation since 1962 and was extensively upgraded by Voith between 2008 and 2012. The technology group Voith was able to increase the power plant output by around 40 percent to 260 MW, which is higher than the contractually agreed level. Due to its positive experience with this project, the state energy utility and plant operator Empresa Nacional de Electricidade de Angola (ENE) again opted to work with Voith to supply the electromechanical equipment for the new Cambambe 2 power plant.

“Our strategy of offering the customer an integrated approach, and our outstanding work on the Cambambe 1 project, were the deciding factors in the company's decision to choose Voith as the key supplier for Cambambe 2. An attractive, tailored financing package and our solid technical approach, as well as the timely fulfillment of our obligations, also had considerable influence on this decision,'' says Patric Kiehlmann, Project Manager for Cambambe at Voith Hydro.

All four units went into operation at the end of 2016, just four years after Voith received the order for Cambambe 2. As of now, the total combined output of the Cambambe 1 and 2 power plants will be 960 MW. This means that they play a crucial role in the Angolan government's strategy of significantly increasing the proportion of electricity generation from hydropower. The estimated hydropower potential in Angola is 43 GW, but until now only around 11 percent of it has been harnessed.

The overall hydropower potential in Africa is considerable: On the entire continent the technically feasible development potential of hydropower is estimated at more than 470 GW. However, the current installed capacity in Africa is only around 31 GW, giving Africa the world's highest percentage of hydropower potential that has not yet been harnessed.

The importance of Hydropower
Renewable energy is undoubtedly the most sustainable answer to the rise in energy demand. Hydropower plays a key role in sustainable and environmentally friendly power generation and is the leading renewable source of electricity generation globally. Worldwide it makes an indispensable contribution to a stable power supply and thus to economic and social development – both in industrialized countries and in regions seeing strong growth. Since the early days of hydropower exploitation, Voith has been a leading supplier of this technology and is constantly refining and improving it.

About the Company
For 150 years, Voith technologies have been inspiring its customers, business partners and employees all over the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees and earns 4.3 billion euros in sales. It has locations in more than 60 countries and is one of the largest familyowned companies in Europe. As a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive markets.