China Power and GE in joint bid for Batoka Gorge hydropower project

• 6 years ago (2018-05-14)
• David Flin

Africa 320 Hydropower 131

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China Power and GE of the US have launched a joint bid for a contract to construct the 2400 MW Batoka Gorge hydropower project being co-developed by Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Simon Khaya Moyo, Energy and Power Development Minister for Zimbabwe, said that representatives of China Power and GE visited him and expressed strong interest in the project. He said that while Zimbabwe had successfully commissioned the 300 MW Kariba South Extension project in March 2018, the country remained short of power. Moyo said that he would engage with his Zambian counterparts to discuss ways in which implementation of the Batoka power project, urgently needed by both countries to resolve power deficits, could be expedited.

The $3 billion Batoka power station will be situated about 60 km downstream of the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, and is expected to both improve both countries’ power supply situation and feed into the Southern African Power Pool.