Rehabilitation of Kariba Dam to be completed end of January

• 2 years ago (2022-01-21)
• David Flin

Africa 303 Hydropower 111

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The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said that work to rehabilitate the Kariba Dam wall is scheduled to be completed at the end of January. This will help boost power generation by the Zambian and Zimbabwean power utilities.

During Q4 2021, ZRA requested Zambia’s power utility, Zesco Limited , and the Zimbabwe Power Company , reduce power generation levels to six hours on a few selected dates. This was to facilitate cofferdam construction works under the plunge pool reshaping sub-project of the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project.

ZRA said that after the wall work, the utilities would be expected to implement measures that would mitigate the resulting reduction in power generation levels at Kariba. ZRA said: “The KDRP is scheduled to be completed by 2024 and is aimed at assuring the long-term safety and reliability of Kariba Dam.”

The refurbishment project, which commenced in 2017, comprises the reshaping of the plunge pool and the refurbishment of the spillway gates.

The $294 million rehabilitation project is funded by the European Union, the World Bank, African Development Bank, the government of Sweden, and ZRA on behalf of the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, through a combination of grants and loans.