The Mozambican government and a consortium led by the company Electricité de France (EDF) signed agreements on Wednesday (13) in Maputo to implement the Mpanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project (which will be located in Tete province), with a budget of 4.5 billion dollars.
The consortium, which also includes the major energy companies TotalEnergies and the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation, will hold a 70 per cent stake in the project. The state-owned company Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) and Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) will be responsible for the remaining 30 per cent stake.
The agreements formalise the consortium’s role as a strategic partner in the venture and responsible for the development, construction and operation of the Mpanda Nkuwa hydroelectric plant, an infrastructure that will have a production capacity of 1500 MW.
Present at the event, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, explained that the project will help Mozambique to be at the forefront of the energy transition on the African continent.
“It is with great expectation and satisfaction that we are witnessing a crucial stage in the implementation of one of the structuring projects in the energy sector in the post-independence period. Mpanda Nkuwa will increase energy generation capacity and contribute to meeting the needs of the country and southern Africa,” he said.
The Mozambican head of state stressed that the infrastructure will also strengthen Mozambique’s chances of achieving the goal of universal access to energy and industrialisation, intensifying the diversification of the economy, maintaining that the agreements initialled are a continuation of the commitments made for the energy transition. “We will continue to diversify energy sources and very soon we will introduce wind power.”
The statesman also argued that the project will help create around 7,000 direct jobs, both in the construction and operational phases, and will generate revenues of over 6.2 billion dollars.
For her part, the French Secretary of State for Development, La Francophonie and International Partnerships, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, made it clear that the partnership between Mozambican and French organisations around a hydroelectric and renewable energy project reflects their commitment to the energy transition and to mitigating the effects of climate change.
“The more developed countries have a greater responsibility to support the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change,” he said.
