The Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power plant across the Kunene River near Ruacana in northwest Namibia , close to the Angolan border. Commissioned in 1978, it is by far the largest power station in Namibia. Its operator is NamPower , the Namibian national electric power utility company.
8-596: The power station is located near the town of Ruacana , in the Omusati Region of Namibia, adjacent to the international border with Angola. The power station is situated 757 kilometres (470 mi), by road, northwest of Windhoek , the capital and largest city of Namibia. The power station is operated by NamPower . As of May 2020, Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest electricity generating station in Namibia. It accounts for approximately 50 percent of
16-585: A Cuban airstrike in 1988, during the Angolan Civil War . The facility was partially repaired and today NamPower operates three turbines producing a maximum of 240 megawatts . Ovazemba and Ovahimba people are native to the area. The name Ruacana originated from one of the first settlers in Ruacana called Ruhakana. The town was therefore named after a Mr Ruhakana, although it is currently written as "Ruacana". Ruacana's settlement status
24-399: 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 station's generation capacity to 347 megawatts (465,335 hp). The fourth Francis turbine-generator
32-697: The power station operate more efficiently. Further upstream is the Gove Dam in west-central Angola, while the Olushandja Dam - on a tributary of the Kunene River , the Etaka River - is in Namibia. Ruacana Ruacana is a town in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency . It is located on the border with Angola on
40-493: The river Kunene . The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby, and for the Ruacana Power Station . The place receives annual average rainfall of 426 millimetres (16.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season, 960 millimetres (38 in) of rain was measured. The 600 hectares (1,500 acres) farm Etunda is situated near Ruacana. It is run as a government supported irrigation scheme and
48-638: 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. Water for the power station is stored in the Calueque Dam approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) upstream of the Ruacana Falls along the Kunene River in Calueque , Angola. Several dams upstream help regulate the Kunene River to help
56-580: Was established in 1993. Half of the farm is commercial irrigation land, while the other half is allocated to 82 small-scale farmers. Etunda cultivates maize, wheat, watermelons, bananas, and other produce. Ruacana was developed around the Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station , a major underground hydroelectric plant linked to the nearby dam across the border in Angola at Calueque . The dam and pumping station were bombed in
64-675: Was upgraded to village in 2005, and to town in 2010. It is now governed by a town council that has seven seats. The 2015 local authority election was won by SWAPO which gained six seats and 826 votes. The remaining seat went to the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) which gained 53 votes. SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election . It obtained 603 votes and gained five seats. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 192 votes and gained
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