- The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a US$ 125 million loan for the modernisation of the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric scheme in Mozambique.
- This project will also improve the reliability of the power supply, reduce outages, and enable the company to meet its contractual obligations to its suppliers.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a US$ 125 million loan for the modernisation of the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric scheme in Mozambique. Its power plant has an installed capacity of 2,075 MW. This funding is for implementing the Vital Capex programme to upgrade its power generation system. The Cahora Bassa hydroelectric scheme consists of a 171m high, 300m long dam on the Zambezi River with five 415 MW turbines and an installed capacity of 2,075 MW. It is the second largest operational hydroelectric plant in Africa after the Aswan plant in Egypt, with a total of 2,100 MW.
The plant, commissioned between 1976 and 1979, sold electricity to the state-owned Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), including South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. According to the company based near the Cahora Bassa dam in the Songo village, modernising its production facilities will extend the plant’s life by at least 25 years. This project will also improve the reliability of the power supply, reduce outages, and enable the company to meet its contractual obligations to its suppliers.
AfDB, in a comment, noted that The programme would also “ensure the sustainability of energy security in SADC, particularly in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe”. The contract for the rehabilitation of the Cahora Bassa hydropower plant was awarded in 2019 to a consortium including Sweco, an architectural firm based in Stockholm, Sweden and Intertechne Consultores, a company based in Curitiba, Brazil. The rehabilitation work should be completed in 2025.