Following plans to start construction of a 1 000-kilometre power line next year in partnership with stakeholders from Mozambique and South Africa, Zimbabwe is going to become a regional power hub by 2021.
Systems development manager Engineer Ikhupuleng Dube of Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company(ZETDC) said,” the establishment of the power line will result in the construction of a mega power station in Triangle, that will distribute power to the region.”
Eng Dube who was addressing stakeholders, who included villagers, businesspeople and politicians at a consultative meeting in Mwenezi on Wednesday last week, also said the power line would originate in Mozambique, pass through southern Zimbabwe and would end in South Africa’s northern Limpopo Province.
He also pointed out that construction work for the power line would start early next year and In line with that, they were developing projects like Zisavona and Mozisa, they are also finalizing technical studies by September this year on Mosiza and they hope to finish the Environmental Studies in 21 days.
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The project will be funded by the Development Bank of Southern Africa to the tune of $244 million. “We anticipate finishing construction work by 2021 because the longest area to be constructed will be in Zimbabwe,” Eng Dube said.
He also said that the second leg is between Triangle and Njelele in South Africa and that they were finalizing preparatory work. From Orange Grove to Triangle, will need about $134 million and a massive substation will be constructed in Triangle.
Eng Dube said that they were going to compensate fully all those who would be affected by this development. That they would build houses, drill boreholes and compensate those whose farming activities would be interrupted during the actual construction work. He said employment opportunities would be reserved for those in surrounding communities.
