Eight international consortiums are interested in being Mozambique’s strategic partners in building the Mphanda Nkuwa dam, which will produce electricity, in central Mozambique, a government source told Lusa on Thursday.
The eight responded to the tender launched in December and delivered pre-qualification documents on time (last Monday).
Two consortiums are Chinese (main members: Longyuan Power and PowerChina), two others are Japanese (main members: Sumitomo and Kansai), while two others are European (one from Norway, led by Scatec, and another French, with electric company EDF at the head).
There are also two consortia bringing together firms of different nationalities, one associating Mauritius and Zambia (led by ETC Holdings Mauritius), while another includes firms from Italy and Zimbabwe (with WeBuild Group as a core member).
This is followed by the evaluation of the qualification statements of each consortium, after which the proposals for the development of the hydroelectric project can be submitted.
“The signing of the project development and implementation agreement will be signed between Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), which represent the public sector, and the selected strategic partner,” the same source said, without giving any dates.
A year ago, Carlos Yum, director of the project implementation office, said that the expectation was that the dam construction works would start in 2024 to last at least seven years.
The infrastructure is estimated to cost between 4.5 and five billion dollars, with a capacity to produce 1,500 megawatts, making Mphanda Nkuwa the second largest hydroelectric plant in the country, after Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric (HCB), which generates 2,070 megawatts.
With the two infrastructures added to other energy production undertakings in full operation, Mozambique hopes to achieve the goal of universal access to energy and respond to the growing energy deficit that plagues Southern Africa.
HCB was built during the colonial period, but began production after Mozambique’s independence in 1975.
