Zambia and Namibia have signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a natural gas pipeline project, a Zambian senior official said Friday.
The deal was signed on Thursday on the sidelines of the 10th session of the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation between the two countries.
Peter Kapala, Zambia's minister of energy, said the pipeline will run from Zambia to Namibia's coastal city, Walvis Bay, and then to Swakopmund on the western side of Namibia.
"This project, led by the private sector, is expected to take three to four years to complete and, when it's done, the gas, which will be pumped to Zambia, will be used for power generation while the oil pipeline will help reduce the cost of petroleum products in Zambia," he said in a statement.
Once completed, the pipeline will supply between 100,000 and 120,000 barrels of refined petroleum products per day to Zambia and beyond, he said, calling the project a milestone in efforts to promote the development of key infrastructure in the two countries, given the volatility of international oil and gas prices.
Editor: Leon
