Construction of Temane

Mozambique’s prime minister on Wednesday said that work on the largest thermal power plant in the country post-independence will start in the second half of this year in Temane, southern Mozambique. “This thermal power plant [for electricity production] will be the biggest to be built after the independence and will increase the availability of energy for the needs of economic and social development,” with job creation, particularly for young people, Agostinho do Rosario said in parliament. The Temane power plant will have 420 megawatts and will run on natural gas. The prime minister’s announcement comes two weeks after South African state oil company Sasol announced it would increase investment in the region’s gas fields. Other announcements have been made about the project.

In September 2020, the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a $200 million (€168 million) loan for the construction of the plant and a 25-kilometre line in Inhambane province. In August 2019, the Mozambican government had already signed financing agreements with other international institutions for $530 million (€445 million) to build the 563-kilometre line that will connect that power plant to Maputo. The Mozambican prime minister also announced on Wednesday the start, in the second half of 2021, of the Mozambique-Malawi interconnection line project, linking Matambo, in Tete province, to the neighbouring country. The initiative materialises the regional integration strategy, which aims to consolidate Mozambique’s position as an energy hub, he said.

Agostinho do Rosário also announced the conclusion, by the end of the month, of the implementation of the first 367-kilometre section of the 400-kilovolt (kv) transmission system linking Chimuara to Alto Molocué, in the central province of Zambézia. By the end of the year the 110-kilovolt transmission line linking Chibabava, in Sofala, to Vilanculo in Inhambane, with an expansion and reinforcement component of the electricity distribution network, should be ready, he said. As well as supplying industry and other companies, the Mozambican government aims to achieve two million new household connections, benefiting over 10 million people by 2024 – raising from 34% to 64% of the population (30 million inhabitants) with energy at home.