Hydropower in spotlight

A major international conference on water storage and hydropower development will be held in Windhoek later this year. The conference, which will see high-level international delegates gathering, will take place from 2 to 4 April at the Safari Court Hotel's conference centre. The Namibian ministries of agriculture and energy, NamWater and NamPower will be participating, along with high-level utility representatives from other parts of the world. According to a media statement, the event will be an ideal opportunity to promote Namibian and African expertise in the field of hydropower and water resources development.Around 650 international delegates from about 50 countries are expected to attend and experts from all parts of the world will focus on issues of particular relevance to Africa, while technical, financial, environmental and social issues are also to be covered.International delegates will have the opportunity to take a tour to the Naute, Oanab, Neckartal and Hardap dam projects. There will also be a post-conference study tour to the Ruacana project, with a visit to the Etosha National Park. Conference discussions will focus on some of the large regional hydropower projects.High on the agenda will be climate resilience, dam and power plant safety, project finance, research and development, maintenance and capacity building. The Namibia's Ruacana hydro project and the planned Baynes project will also feature on the programme during the conference. The Baynes hydro project will be constructed about 185 km downstream from the Ruacana plant. The Baynes project will have a total installed capacity of 600 MW, to be equally shared between Namibia and Angola. The Baynes Dam will be a concrete-faced rock fill dam with a height of 200 m and a total storage capacity of 2 570 million m3.Other conference topics will include project preparation, the latest hydro equipment technology, challenging sites, cross-border collaboration, project rehabilitation, flood management, small hydro, environmental and social aspects, pumped storage, spillways, hydro in synergy with other renewables, sedimentation management and electrical engineering. A major international technical exhibition with at least 80 stands and companies from 40 countries will run alongside the conference, showcasing innovation in the industry.The conference, 'AFRICA 2019 Water Storage and Hydropower Development for Africa', is organised by Aqua-Media International. The event is being organised and hosted in partnership with the International Commission on Large Dams, and it has the support of the African Union, the International Energy Agency and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.Teams from the World Bank, and the African Development Bank will be participating. “After our previous successful African regional events in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2013 and Marrakech, Morocco in 2017, we are delighted to be bringing this multidisciplinary forum to southern Africa, where so many large-scale schemes are under way or moving ahead; for example in Angola, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania,” said director of Aqua-Media International, Alison Bartle. According to Bartle, Namibia is an ideal base for the conference, with the Neckartal Dam recently complete, and the Baynes project being jointly planned with Angola. “Constructive discussions will take place among more than 650 delegates from 50 countries, with the aim of furthering Africa's hydropower development. Unlocking more of the continent's vast potential is the key to poverty alleviation and rapid socio-economic development. Constructive dialogue among international experts can help turn policies into practice.”ELLANIE SMIT

Hydropower in spotlight

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-14

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Hydropower in spotlight

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-14

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