Power Construction Corp. of China Ltd (Powerchina) says an Angolan subsidiary, Sinohydro Angola, has won three of the six contracts to build drought mitigation infrastructure in the southern Angolan province of Cunene.

Angop says the three contracts are together worth 107.1 billion kwanzas (US$276.9 million).

The Angolan state-run news agency says Sinohydro Angola will build a dam in Ndúe and conduits to divert river water to arid areas.

The government in Angola is giving priority to the project with a view to relieving the effects of severe drought in the south of the country in recent years, Powerchina says in a written statement.

The contracts pave the way for Powerchina to play a part in other water supply projects in Angola, after entering the country’s market in 2004, Angop quotes the company as saying.