Mozambique to construct 2000MW gas-fired power station

The government of Mozambique is set to construct a gas-fired power station in Beluluane, in Boane district about 30 kilometres west of Maputo.

Beluluane Gas Company SA received approval from the government allowing them to develop the power station that will generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity. The approval also included a terms and conditions of a 30-year concession of the project to the company.

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Gas-fired power station

The concession holder will have exclusive rights for financing, construction, operation, exploration, maintenance and expansion of infrastructure for importing, receiving, storage, treatment, and export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

The power plant will be constructed over five years and is projected to cost US $2.8bn. According to Mozambican government spokeswoman Ana Comoana, the project will allow Mozambique to produce 8,000 MW of power by 2043 and become a regional hub for energy production and supply.

Similarly, supporting facilities will be installed in the port of Matola for the handling, storage, re-gasification and export of LNG, with a gas pipeline linking the port to the Beluluane power station.

The projects are to generate 1,700 jobs in the construction phase and more than1,050 permanent employment opportunities in the operational phase. Mozambique plans to export power generated at Beluluane to South Africa and other markets in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region. It could also supply power to the Mozal aluminium smelter, which is located in Beluluane.

Initially, the LNG used to be imported. This is because the natural gas produced from the Pande and Temane gas fields in Inhambane province is already committed, partly in exports to South Africa, and partly to a variety of projects within Mozambique. But when the LNG from the massive offshore gas fields in the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern province of Cabo Delgado, comes on stream, some of it will be shipped to Maputo, for use in Beluluane.