An agreement of 5 billion US Dollars has been officially contracted between Mozambique and the EDF-led consortium towards construction of Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project.
The project scope includes the construction of a dam, powerhouse, inlet, and outlet tunnel infrastructure, installation of turbines, and laying of transmission lines.
Location of Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project
construction of Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project will take place within Tete province in northern Mozambique this is an important step towards harnessing this nation’s huge potential power source.
Per Mozambique’s Energy Minister, Carlos Zacarias, the project places the country on the map as a regional supplier of clean, green power that can spur economic expansion.
Completion date
A 1,300 km transmission line shall connect Tete and Maputo (the capital). This venture is expected to become functional by 2031 offering cheap energy and positioning Mozambique as a net power exporter. EDF, in collaboration with TotalEnergies and Sumitomo Corporation, will be responsible for the development, construction, and operation of the project.
Total capacity of the project
Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project is a proposed 1,500 megawatts run-of-the-river hydroelectric facility set for development on the Zambezi River, in the Tete province of Mozambique.
The consortium has a 70% holding while the rest is owned by the company of the government of Mozambique EDM and Hidroeléctrica da Cahora Bassa (HCB).
This not only serves the purpose of addressing Mozambique’s own energy requirements, but also contributes to southern Africa’s aspiration towards sustainable energy production. construction of Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower project will help increase more than 50% of the electricity generation capacity in Mozambique. Moreover, it corresponds to the worldwide environmental and social governance standards.
The consortium will carry out further preliminary investigations with the help of their partners from the African Development bank and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation in order to certify its sustainability, economic, social implications for the environment.