NamPower has announced further details on its plans to build a fourth unit at the Ruacana Hydro Power Station. NamPower is inviting companies that wish to be considered for inclusion on the list of approved tenderers for the construction of the project to complete the pre-qualification questionnaire. The tender will close on 29 February. The national electric utility is planning to add a fourth Turbine-Generator Unit of approximately 85 MW to the existing Ruacana Power Plant currently comprising three units of 83 MW each, on the north-west boundary of Namibia with Angola. Most of the civil works required for the 4th generator unit has already been completed, NamPower said in a notice.

NamPower has appointed NORPLAN, consulting engineers and planners on hydro power projects from Norway, as technical advisor for the project. Installing the fourth unit will cost N$350 million. The estimated commissioning date of this project is June 2010.
The fourth unit is part of plans by NamPower to increase local generation of power supply following the announcement by Eskom of South Africa that it would reduce power exports to neighbouring countries.
NamPower also plans to build a 400 MW coal station at the coastal town of Walvis Bay, he said. To date, NamPower has been approached by four companies, namely Sterford (UK), Beijing Vibroflotation (China), Atlantic (Hong Kong) and Namcoal (Germany) for negotiations on a power purchase agreement and transmission connection agreement for the project.