Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station


The Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power plant near Ruacana in northwest Namibia, close to the Angolan border.

Location

The power station is located near the town of Ruacana, across the Kunene River, in the Omusati Region of Namibia, adjacent to the international border with Angola. This is approximately, by road, northwest of Windhoek, the capital and largest city of Namibia. The geographical coordinates of Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station are:17°23'56.0"S, 14°13'17.0"E.

Overview

As of May 2020, Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest electricity generating station in Namibia. It accounts for approximately 50 percent of the country's generation capacity.
The first three 80 MW Francis turbine-generators were commissioned in 1978. In 2012, the three original turbines were tweaked to generate a maximum of 85 megawatts each. A fourth turbine with 92 megawatts capacity was also installed that year, bringing the stations generation capacity to. The fourth Francis turbine-generator was built by Alstom, Andritz Hydro and Concor and commissioned on 5 April 2012. The power station is located underground near the bottom of the falls. The power station is operated by Namibia's national power utility company, NamPower.