Electricity production in Mozambique is expected to drop by 1.3% in 2025 due to maintenance work at the Cahora Bassa Hydropower Plant (HCB), the country’s largest electricity producer and one of Africa’s major dams, located in Tete Province, in the central region.
“A decline in electricity production of approximately 1.3% is forecast for this year, influenced by the need for generator maintenance and a reduction in the hydrological cycle at HCB, which accounts for 78.7% of the electricity production and export structure,” states an official government document.
According to the figures, Mozambique is expected to generate 19.1 thousand gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity this year, with 15.5 thousand GWh provided by HCB. Overall, electricity production from hydropower sources, including the Cahora Bassa dam, is expected to fall by 4.1% in 2025, while thermal power generation is projected to increase by 17.6%.
The Cahora Bassa reservoir is the fourth largest in Africa, stretching up to 270 kilometers in length and 30 kilometers in width, covering 2,700 square kilometers with an average depth of 26 meters. The plant employs nearly 800 workers.
Since the handover from Portugal in 2007, the Mozambican state holds 90% of HCB’s share capital. The Portuguese company Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) holds a 7.5% stake, and Mozambique’s own power utility, Electricidade de Moçambique, holds 2.5%.
The dam is built within a narrow gorge of the Zambezi River, with construction taking place between 1969 and June 1, 1974, during the Portuguese colonial period. The reservoir was filled immediately after, and commercial operations began in 1977 with the transmission of the first 960 megawatts (MW) generated by three turbines. The current installed capacity stands at 2,075 MW.
Two key milestones made the full transfer of the project to Mozambican control possible after independence. The first occurred on October 31, 2006, with the signing of a protocol outlining the conditions for the handover from Portugal. The second milestone came a year later, on November 27, 2007, marking the official conclusion of the transfer. The HCB handover agreement allowed the dam’s control to pass from the Portuguese state to the Mozambican counterpart — an event described by then-President Armando Guebuza as Mozambique’s “second independence.”
Source: Diário Económico
