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dam-l Namibia and Power

The following article from The Namibian shows just how fragile southern
Africa's dams can be, and doesn't bode well for another dam proposed for
the Kunene--Epupa.


> <b>Namibia spends N$60m on power imports from SA
>
>  <b>January 15, 1998</b>
>  <i>by Chrispin Inambao</i>
>Windhoek - National power utility NamPower spent N$60 million on power
>imported from South Africa
>during the 1996/97 financial year.<P> According to a senior NamPower
>official, the power had to be
>imported as the Ruacana Power Station, which generates the bulk of
>Namibia's electricity, was
>operating below capacity owing to low and erratic rainfall in southern
>Angola - the source of water
>for the Kunene River, on which the dam i s located.<P> Speaking to The
>Namibian on Tuesday,
>NamPower's Senior General Manager for Technical Services, Imker
>Hoogenhout, said the N$60 million
>was for the power imported from South African power company Escom in the
>period July 1 1996 to June
>30 1997 to cover the local deficit.<P> In the current financial year,
>NamPower is likely to pay less
>for electricity imported from South Africa as current water levels at
>Ruacana are higher compared to
>this time last year. "We are going to have a better year," said
>Hoogenhout.<P> The present rate of
>water flowing through the Ruacana dam - 148 cubic metres per second - "is
>much better compared to
>last year" when levels were recorded at around 50 cubic metres per second,
>he said.<P> Hoogenhout
>said the level had even swelled to 200 cubic metres per second on January
>8.<P> However, despite
>this year's improved water levels at Ruacana, Namibia will continue to
>have to import power from
>South Africa.<P> The Kunene River normally has high water levels in April,
>when average water flows
>reach 300 to 400 cubic metres per second. However, Hoogenhout observed:
>"The Kunene is very
>unpredictable and sometimes it doesn't pick up in April."<P> The Kunene
>reaches a level of between
>1000 to 1500 cubic metres per second every 20 years or so.<P> The river's
>water level was
>exceedingly low from the middle to the end of December, when it had
>averaged a trickle of 30 cubic
>metres per second and even dropped to a lowly 25 cubic metres per second.
>This resulted in NamPower
>having to import almost all of Namibia's power at the time.<P> But at the
>end of December, the
>river's water level started raising rapidly to the January 8 peak.
>However, during this period
>demand for power in Namibia was very low as many of the country's
>industries had closed for
>Christmas.<P> Ruacana's three turbines have a capacity to generate 83
>megawatts of power per hour
>each, but last year water had to be trapped before power could be generated.
>

>  Copyright &copy 1998 The Namibian. Distributed via <b>Africa News
>Online</b>(www.africanews.org).
>  For information about the content or for permission to redistribute,
>publish or use for broadcast,
>  contact The Namibian at the link above.
> <P>
 copyright Africa News Service -->

>************************************
>Steve Rothert
>International Rivers Network
>Okavango Liaison Group
>Plot 253 Moremi Road
>PO Box 2427
>Gaborone, Botswana
>Tel: 267-353-337, Fax/Message: 267-359-337
>Email:  stever@info.bw
>************************************
>