MPHANDA NKUWA DAM

Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) on Monday launched an international public tender for a consultant to assist the government in designing the legal and financial structure for the construction of Mphanda Nkuwa dam, in the western province of Tete.

The Mphanda Nkuwa dam is to be built on the Zambezi River, about 60 kilometres downstream from the existing Cahora Bassa dam. Its construction was first approved by the government in September 2007 and the plans have been developed on the basis of installing two hydroelectric power stations. It was envisaged that in the first phase this will produce 1,500 megawatts of electricity, with a further 900 megawatts introduced in the second phase.

As specified in the tender, the company hired to offer consultancy services will also provide advice on the electricity transmission infrastructure. It will work under the direction of the Office for the Implementation of the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project (GMNK) which was set up in February to coordinate the development of the project.The consultant will also assist with updating the technical studies and selecting a strategic partner with suitable international experience to join the project's consortium which currently is composed of the government, the publicly-owned electricity company EDM and Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) – the company that operates the Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi.On Monday, MIREME also advertised the position of Director for the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project. According to the ministry, the project will meet the growing domestic demand for electricity for economic and social development, as well as making Mozambique a reference country for supplying electricity to the regional market.